The Government is investigating the deaths of NHS workers during the coronavirus pandemic, Matt Hancock has announced.
The Health Secretary said that officials are probing why 19 healthcare workers have perished since the crisis began.
But he could not give an update on the figure when asked at the Downing Street press briefing, after at least four more NHS staff fell since Mr Hancock announced the 19 deaths on Saturday.
It is believed that the true number now stands at more than 30.
"We are looking into each circumstance to understand as much as possible how they caught the virus,” the Health Secretary said.
It comes amid a growing row between ministers and NHS workers over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) on the front line, which some grieving families have blamed for their loved ones’ untimely deaths.
Mr Hancock refused to apologise when asked on Sunday afternoon about the Royal College of Nursing warning that medics are having to choose between risking their lives or declining to treat patients.
It comes after a healthcare worker in Cardiff became the latest NHS staff member to die.
Tributes were also paid earlier to Sara Trollope, 51, a mother-of-four and matron at Hillington hospital, London, who passed away after contracting the virus.
She was among three more hospital worker deaths to be announced on Saturday, including a nurse in Redditch and a member of staff in Rugby.
Mr Hancock said it was a "sombre day" as the UK's death toll surged past 10,000 with a rise of 737 in 24 hours, as experts warned the country could fare the worst in Europe.