Another 539 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in the UK, bringing the total to 30,615.
The figure released by the Department of Health is for coronavirus-related fatalities in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the community, as of 5pm on Wednesday.
The previous total number, released yesterday, showed the UK had passed 30,000 deaths after a rise of 649 – the first European country to do so.
Experts have urged caution over international comparisons as nations record COVID-19 deaths differently.
In England, there have been 383 new deaths in hospitals, taking the total to 22,432.
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In Scotland, there have been 59 further fatalities, with the total now 1,762.
In Wales, 18 more people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number to 1,062.
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And in Northern Ireland, a four further coronavirus deaths have been reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 422.
The number of daily COVID-19 tests being carried out in the UK has fallen below 100,000 for the fifth day in a row.
The latest figures show there were 86,583 tests in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday, up from 69,463 the day before.
The last time the government passed 100,000 a day was on 2 May. The target was set by Health Secretary Matt Hancock for the end of April and was reached but with some criticism.
The government claimed it met the target on 30 April but it included more than 40,000 home testing kits that had been sent out and not returned, including several which people were told to bin.
Dr Jenny Harries, the government's deputy chief medical officer, told Thursday's Downing Street news briefing that there had been a "technical hitch" in a laboratory.
Boris Johnson is planning to ramp up testing to 200,000 Read More – Source
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