A further two patients being cared for by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust have died after testing positive for coronavirus.

The death toll at the trust, which runs hospitals in Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, now stands at 346, according to figures published today by NHS England.

The health body confirmed that these two deaths were recorded on May 16 and yesterday (May 24).

Today marked the lowest amount of reported Covid-19 deaths since the peak of the outbreak, with 59 recorded deaths in England.

However, the Covid patient notification system did not operate just before 5am to 3pm on Sunday (May 24) due to “connectivity issues experienced by an external supplier”.

NHS England has explained that the number of deaths reported in todays update may not reflect the overall deaths.

In a statement, NHS England has said: “The system is now fully operational and the reports of any deaths which were not able to be entered yesterday will be uploaded and reconciled.”

Patients who died in England were between 44 and 98 years old.

Four of the 59 patients – aged between 56 and 91 – had no known underlying health conditions.

NHS England also announced a further four deaths who did not test positive for coronavirus, but ‘Covid-19’ has appeared on the death certificate.