Covid-19 update: UK death toll nears 50,000

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News and analysis 

• Public Health England has released its report on the effects of Covid-19 on BAME communities, which finds that black and Asian ethnic groups are ‘up to twice as likely to die with Covid-19 than those from a white British background’. The biggest risk factors are age and gender.
• The ONS reports an additional 51,466 deaths this year over the five-year average, as the death toll linked to Covid-19 approaches 50,000. Details below.
• Half of UK hospitals have reported no Covid-19 deaths in the past two days.
• The government will no longer hold its daily Covid-19 press conferences on weekends.
• The government is also reviewing plans for arrivals to the UK to undergo a 14-day quarantine. James Forsyth investigates the growing Tory backbench rebellion against the policy.
• Between