Almost twice the number of NHS staff have died due to Covid-19 than previously announced, a study claims.
Research conducted by Professor Tim Cook, an intensive care consultant in Bath, found that 119 NHS employees had lost their lives thanks to a coronavirus infection.
They include 18 doctors, 35 nurses and 27 healthcare support workers.
Earlier today Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, claimed that the figure was 69 while standing in for Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions.
A further 15 social workers had also died, Mr Raab said.
If Professor Cook's study is correct, then 50 NHS workers more than officially announced by the government have lost their lives as a direct consequence of the pandemic.
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The research found that 7% of those who died were less than 30-years-old, meaning eight or nine NHS workers in their teens or twenties have died because of the coronavirus.
This morning Care Minister Helen Whately suggested that the Government data may be incomplete.
She told BBC Breakfast: "We know that 61 NHS workers have died and for care workers I have a figure of 15, but we are working to get more comprehensive data on that because it is important for us to know the number of people in health and care who are dying of this.
"We have got to do everything we can to protect their lives."
NursingNotes, which publishes stories and data about the medical profession in the UK, said the death toll stood at 111 as of this morning.
The organisation tweeted: "At least 111 health and social care workers are now believed to have died of Covid-19.
"Our team works tirelessly to ensure their names are never forgotten."
One NHS worker who has lost their life due to Covid-19 is Kirsty Jones.
The 41-year-old had been working as a healthcare assistant and had recently taken up a position in one of Lanarkshire’s Assessment Centres, based in Airdrie Health Centre, to help in the frontline response against the pandemic.
She joined NHS Lanarkshire straight out of school, aged 17.
The mum-of-two died on Monday, from Covid-19, leaving a four-year-old son and his 14-year-old brother.
Her widower, Nigel, said: “Kirsty devoted her life to caring for others.
“She was a wonderful wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and nurse."
