The figure grew by 569 – up from 563 deaths reported on Wednesday – which set another tragic daily record. Some 44 of the victims in England did not have underlying health conditions, including a 25-year-old. Health Secretary Matt Hancock expressed his deepest condolences to the loved ones of 2,921 people who have now lost their lives in the UK.

He said: “If the past few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that we are steadfast as a country in our resolve to defeat this invisible killer.”

Tragic stories have emerged in recent days of patients dying without their families present, due to the risk of infection.

But Dr Alison Pittard, dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, pledged: “I would like to reassure the public that no person will die in hospital alone.

“They may not have their loved ones next to them but they will have doctors, nurses and other staff who will be by their side holding their hand – and making sure that they’re not alone when they die.”

More than 163,000 people have now been tested for the virus and 33,718 were positive, the Department of Health said.

Some 12,949 people have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and infections are doubling every three days.

Mr Hancock also made an emotional tribute to NHS staff who have “paid the ultimate price for their service”.

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He said: “I am awed by the dedication of every single person who contributes to the running of this diverse and caring institution that our nation holds so dear.

“Many of those who have died from the NHS were people who came to this country to make a difference, and they did.

“They’ve given their lives in sacrifice and we salute them.”

Experts said the slight rise in new deaths was not unexpected and warned the public not to read too much into daily figures.

The numbers relate to deaths verified by NHS England within a 24-hour period, but may have happened weeks earlier. NHS medical director Prof Stephen Powis said deaths were expected to continue rising for a few weeks but there was evidence that the spread is slowing.

Prof Jim Naismith, of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Oxford University, said: “We’re all worried but I’m certain that social distancing remains the most important thing we can do.

“I’m equally certain that we must all try not to ride the emotional rollercoaster of daily totals of new tragedies, alternating between feelings of salvation or doom.”

As the health service braces for more patients, the GMC has announced it will grant temporary registration to an additional 18,800 doctors to allow them to return to work.

That is on top of the 15,500 who were registered last week.

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