THREE deaths of coronavirus patients in Sussex have been confirmed by a hospital trust overnight.

All the casualties were being treated at sites run by the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

The organisation operates Conquest Hospital in St Leonards, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Bexhill Hospital and the Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital.

These were the only deaths confirmed by Sussex hospital trusts in the latest daily figures from Public Health England, taking the total death toll in the county to 611.

The figures at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (143) Western Sussex Hospitals Foundation Trust (112), Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (253) and Sussex Community Foundation Trust (17) remained the same.

Nationally, the number of deaths of coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals increased by 173.

This figure was recorded in the 24 hours leading up to 5pm yesterday.

There have now been 42,461 confirmed deaths of patients with the illness in the UK, with 301,815 having tested positive for the virus.

But the number of cases in most areas of Sussex did not increase in the overnight update.

Brighton and Hove and West Sussex had no further confirmed cases.

Their totals stayed at 484 and 1,366 respectively.

There was, however, an increase of three in East Sussex, taking the region’s total to 770.

As a result, the Sussex figure has now climbed to 2,620.

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund