The Department of Health has announced that more than 20,000 people have now died with coronavirus in UK hospitals.

The latest figures showed a total of 20,319 deaths in the UK, up by 813 on the previous day.

Last month, the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said keeping deaths below 20,000 would be a” good outcome”.

It has taken 51 days for the UK to go from announcing its first death to reaching the latest milestone.

The government’s figures do not account for deaths that have happened in care homes, at home, in hospices or elsewhere in the community.

These are measured separately by the Office for National Statistics, based on death certificates, and a weekly figure is announced each Tuesday.

Four other countries to date have announced an official number of coronavirus-related deaths exceeding 20,000 – the US, Spain, Italy and France.

Globally, confirmed coronavirus cases stand at more than 2.8m, with the figure of 200,000 deaths expected to be reached imminently.