London, April 25 (RHC)-- The number of people to have died in hospitals in the United Kingdom after testing positive for coronavirus has surpassed 20,000, according to official data.  The latest figures on Saturday showed that the UK had become the fifth country in the world to pass the grim milestone, but its actual toll could be much higher when deaths in the community are taken into account, particularly at care homes.

"It's a very sad day for the nation; 20,000 deaths is clearly 20,000 too many," Stephen Powis, the medical director of the National Health Service (NHS) in England, told a news conference on Saturday.  "This is a deeply tragic and moving moment," added UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Earlier, the Department of Health said in a statement that 20,319 patients infected with the coronavirus had died in hospitals, with the country recording 813 new deaths in the last 24 hours.   Overall, more than 148,000 people have tested positive, out of almost 518,000 tests carried out.