MORE than 20 prisoners have died in a fortnight after contracting coronavirus, figures suggest.

Provisional data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the deaths of 24 inmates for the two-week period to March 1 were Covid-related.

During this time, 1,478 prisoners tested positive in around half the jails in England and Wales.

Some 63 prisons had at least one prisoner who was testing positive on Monday.

The reported deaths include all those where an inmate tested positive within 28 days of their death or where there was a clinical assessment that Covid-19 was a contributory factor, regardless of the cause of death – which must later be officially determined by a coroner.

Campaigners have previously called for more of the prison population, currently standing at 78,037 people, to be released on temporary licence over fears for the safety of inmates as outbreaks occur behind bars.

But the MoJ says it has taken action to try to keep staff and prisoners safe which has significantly limited the spread of the virus, and positive test results had fallen for the sixth consecutive week.