Coronavirus deaths are at almost 3,000 with at least 34 confirmed in Kent but experts warn the actual number is even higher than originally thought.

Some 33,718 people have tested positive for the virus across the UK according to the government figures released today with 2,921 people in hospital succumbing to the disease.

Confirmed deaths have been rising every day this week – on Tuesday it was confirmed 367 people in England had died and 486 more deaths were confirmed yesterday. Family members have been informed in each case, the NHS said.

Two deaths announced today were recorded in Kent – one at the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust on Monday and one at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust on March 25.

Exact figures for deaths at each hospital have not been released by NHS England.

Yesterday saw the highest number of confirmed cases since the outbreak at 4,324, exactly 100 more than today.

So far, 455 people have tested positive for the virus across Kent with another 98 in Medway.

But a report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals the total number of deaths are likely to be far higher than those reported in the daily updates from the government and NHS.

Figures show 210 people who died up to March 20 in England and Wales included mention of Covid-19 on their death certificate.

It also includes those who had died at home or in care homes and has only just been published because these deaths take longer to be officially registered, the ONS says.

This is 40 (23.5%) more than the 170 recorded by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) for the same period, which is only based on data provided by hospitals to the government.

That takes the 1,789 UK hospital deaths announced on Tuesday to at least 1,829 known deaths in the UK.

ONS analyst Sarah Caul said: “It takes at least five days for most deaths to be certified by a doctor, registered and the data processed, so our figures are always slightly out of date.”

The ONS figures are the most complete and accurate set of data released so far with weekly updates now due to be released every Tuesday morning.

Next week’s release will include numbers of deaths up to March 27 when 973 deaths were announced in England and Wales by the government.

If the 23.5% margin is replicated, the actual figure published by the ONS combining hospital deaths and total registrations could be as high as 1,201.

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