(Bloomberg) --

A further 823 people have died in U.K. hospitals, the latest figures show, a sharp rise from prior days, even as early signs emerge that the disease’s spread in the country may be slowing.

Some 4,301 new cases of the disease were recorded in the figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care, down from Monday’s increase of 4,676.

An additional 18,206 tests were carried out on April 20, still short of the country’s goal of 100,000 tests by the end of the month.

Daily figures released by the Department of Health report deaths on the day they are recorded, not the day they occur, and don’t include deaths outside of hospitals.

The figures come as data released by the Office for National Statistics show England and Wales had its deadliest week since records began in the week ending April 10. The 18,516 deaths were 76% higher than the average figure for that week over the last five years. The numbers are also higher than those officially attributed to coronavirus indicating some deaths as a result of the epidemic are going unrecorded.

There are signs the spread of coronavirus in the U.K. is starting to weaken. The number of people in hospitals in London with the disease, where the outbreak is worst, has started to drop, Angela McLean, chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, said on Monday. Still, the government has insisted the lockdown must remain in place until there is no risk of a second peak.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.