The UK's first coronavirus death took place much earlier than previously thought.
NHS England said the country's first death happened on February 28, almost a week before it was announced, according to a report.
The first fatality was made public on March 5, although the date of the woman's death was not released.
Health trusts in England said six people had died in hospitals from Covid-19 as early as February – with the first death previously made public on March 5.
The news came as the UK endured its most deadly day of the coronavirus pandemic, in which 569 fatalities were recorded.
The death toll in Scotland has also been under-reported due to delays in informing the government of deaths, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed on Thursday.
Some 40 deaths earlier this week were not registered, increasing the country's total count by 31 per cent in a day.
Mrs Sturgeon said authorities were waiting to receive the consent of relatives of the dead before the fatalities were recorded.
She added: “Part of the cruelty of this virus is that when people are in hospital and when they’re dying, family members are not able to be with them,” Sturgeon said.
“Therefore it has taken a bit longer for families to be informed and for them to give their consent to all the things that are required.”
Health Protection Scotland later confirmed it had adopted a 'new, more efficient' reporting system which did not require consent, The Guardian reports.
Scottish Labour's health spokesman Monica Lennon called for the 'full facts' about the virus to be made avaiable.
It comes after discrepancies were spotted in NHS figures, such as when 159 deaths were reported on March 30, only for the NHS to later change the figure to 401.
