The health service said the accuracy of the data is reliant on the availability and transfer of information by healthcare providers, and patients may have had more than one pre-existing condition.

Bridget Turner, the director of policy at Diabetes UK, said: “The fact that more than a quarter of people who have died with Covid-19 have diabetes underlines the urgent need to ensure better protection, and extra support is available to those in the clinically vulnerable groups.

“We also need urgent action from the Government to understand the detail behind this figure, including diabetes type, age, ethnicity, medical history and comorbidities of those who have sadly died, so we can know how to keep all people with diabetes safe.

“The Government must ensure urgently that employers take all the necessary measures to keep employees with diabetes safe if they are expected to attend work outside the home as restrictions are eased.”

Professor Partha Kar, the national speciality adviser on diabetes for the NHS said: “It is clear that people with diabetes are more at risk of dying from Covid-19, and more detailed analysis is currently under way to understand the link between the two, although initial findings indicate that the threat in people under 40 continues to be very low.

“The NHS has put extra measures in place so that people living with diabetes can manage their condition better during the pandemic, including a range of online services, video consultations with your local clinical team and a dedicated helpline for those who need advice.”  

Meanwhile, the data also shows that 4,048 – 19 per cent – of those who died in hospitals in England since March 31 had dementia. The figures revealed that 3,254, or 15 per cent, were reported to have chronic pulmonary disease, while 1,549 had asthma.

The new data follows a study which found that obese people hospitalised with coronavirus are almost 40 per cent more likely to die than slimmer patients.

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