THE death of a coronavirus patient at a Sussex hospital has been confirmed overnight.

They were being treated at a site operated by the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The trust is responsible for the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, where there have been 124 deaths since the outbreak of the virus.

This was the only death recorded by Sussex hospital trusts in the 24 hours leading up to 5pm on Tuesday, taking the overall figure in hospitals to 560.

The totals recorded at the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (80), Western Sussex Hospitals Foundation Trust (101), Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (240) and Sussex Community Foundation Trust (15) all remained the same.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Sussex also increased.

The overall figure climbed from 2,426 to 2,446 overnight.

Eight of these cases were recorded in Brighton and Hove, taking the city’s total to 429, while 11 further patients were diagnosed in East Sussex – raising the region’s figure to 700.

There was only one new case in West Sussex, which has now had 1,317 people diagnosed with the illness.

Nationally, 3,798,490 coronavirus tests have now been administered or issued, though it is not known exactly how many people have been tested.

There have been 267,240 positive tests, with 37,460 people having died after contracting coronavirus.

There were 412 deaths in the 24 hours leading up to 5pm on Tuesday.

  • 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