Three more people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have died at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The deaths bring the total number of fatalities at the hospital up to 72.

Today (April 22) also saw the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn report a further three deaths from the virus, while there have been two more deaths at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston.

Caroline Shaw, chief executive for the QEH, said “We can confirm today that a further three patients – a man in his 80s, a man in his 70s and a lady in her 90s – who had tested positive for Covid-19 have sadly died while being cared for at our hospital. “Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this difficult time.”

The deaths bring the total number of fatalities at the hospital to 64.

READ MORE: Coronavirus facts and figuresThe latest fatalities at the JPUH bring the total number of patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 at the hospital up to 63.

READ MORE: Norfolk hospital at forefront of Covid-19 ventilator trialAcross Norfolk, the number of people who have died in the county’s three main hospitals now stands at 199.

The figures come after the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Norfolk surpassed 1,000 on Tuesday.

Public Health England will release the regional figures in due course.

A further 665 hospital deaths have been confirmed by NHS England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 16,272.

Nationally, 18,100 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus as of 5pm on Tuesday, the Department of Health said, up by 763 from 17,337 the day before.

The total number of confirmed cases of the virus in the UK, now stands at 133,495, an increase of 4,451 on Tuesday.

To date, 411,192 people have been tested for the virus in the UK.