On average, more than 20 Covid patients are dying in east London hospitals every day, the latest figures reveal.

A total of 153 patients with Covid died at seven major hospitals across north east London last week (January 11-17).

Almost half of these patients died at King George Hospital in Ilford and Queen’s Hospital in Romford, both run by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT).

During the week, 65 patients died at BHRUT hospitals, while 88 died at the five hospitals run by Barts Health NHS Trust, which include Whipps Cross in Leytonstone and the Royal London.

From the archive: Last week's Covid death figures

The death toll for both trusts is higher than for the first full week of January (January 4-10), when BHRUT reported 56 deaths and Barts reported 68, a total of 124 between them.

Almost 900 residents across Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Havering tested positive for the virus yesterday (January 17) - roughly 300 in each borough.

Across London as a whole, around 150 people are dying with Covid every day. The highest death toll during the first wave was 231 deaths on April 8.

Those dying from Covid are still almost all aged 60 or above, despite those under 60 being more likely to test positive for the virus.

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