Eight coronavirus patients have died at hospitals run by Barts Health NHS Trust.

The trust, which runs Whipps Cross hospital, confirmed the deaths, which happened over a six-day period, this afternoon.

Across the UK, a further 561 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 2,698.

Of the latest deaths, patients were aged between 22 and 100 years old.

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Fouty-four of the 561 patients (aged between 25 and 100 years old) had no known underlying health condition, NHS England said.

The British Medical Association's latest ethics advice said health professionals could be forced to make "grave decisions" should hospitals become overwhelmed with patients.

The document warns that decisions around rationing scarce resources, such as ventilators, could determine whether large numbers of patients will receive life-saving treatment or not.

Dr John Chisholm, chairman of the BMA's medical ethics committee, said: "Looking ahead to the coming weeks, if hard choices are required, we know they will be contested. There will be anger and pain.

"People who, in normal circumstances, would receive strenuous treatment may instead be given palliation in order to favour those with greater likelihood of benefiting.

"Nobody wants to make these decisions, but if resources are overwhelmed, these decisions must be made."

The BMA's guidance states that during the peak of the pandemic doctors may have to assess a person's eligibility for treatment based on a "capacity to benefit quickly" basis.

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