U.K. Reports 717 New Coronavirus Deaths, Down From Day Before

(Bloomberg) -- A further 717 people have died from the coronavirus in U.K. hospitals, the latest figures show, a slight drop in number of new deaths from the 737 reported yesterday.

Some 88,621 people have been diagnosed with the virus, up from 84,279 the day before, figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show. In the last week, the number of cases in the U.K. increased at a slower rate than the number of deaths.

The U.K. government is facing growing calls for clarity on an exit strategy to its lockdown, which it is due to review on Thursday. Its scientists are looking for the peak of the outbreak, expected this week.

Deaths in hospitals in the U.K. are reported daily by the Department of Health, while those in the community, such as at home or in nursing homes are reported weekly by the Office for National Statistics. Daily reports are for the day the death is recorded, not the day it occurred.

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