The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 126.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 44,517 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday.
The Government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 55,000.
The DHSC also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Wednesday, there were 630 positive test results. Overall, a total of 286,979 cases have been confirmed.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the last thing he wanted to do was blame care workers when he said “too many” care homes had not properly followed procedures, but refused to apologise for the remarks.
Mr Johnson told the Commons that the Government took responsibility for its actions during the outbreak but said understanding of coronavirus had “changed dramatically” over recent months.
He said the Government now knows aspects about how coronavirus is passed between people without symptoms “that we just didn’t know” before.
However, minutes from a meeting of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) on January 28 referenced asymptomatic transmission, saying “early indications imply some is occurring”.
Meanwhile, a hospital serving Mr Johnson's constituency has closed to emergency admissions due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Some 70 staff members are isolating after the outbreak at Hillingdon Hospital in west London.
The hospital serves the Prime Minister's Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
More than 300 NHS and care home staff have died so far from Covid-19.
