LONDON — The U.K. has the third-highest coronavirus death toll in the world after the British government published new figures Wednesday that include deaths outside of hospitals.

After factoring in deaths in all settings such as care homes, the number of people in Britain who have died after testing positive for the virus has now hit 26,097, ahead of the 21,678 announced Tuesday. Previously, hospital deaths had been reported daily, with deaths in nursing homes and other settings reported separately on a weekly basis.

Under the new measurement, the U.K. has leapfrogged Spain and France in Europe, with only Italy ahead. The U.S. has the world’s highest death toll.

The upward revision prompted renewed criticism of the government’s approach throughout the crisis. The new leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said the scale of deaths in the U.K. is “truly dreadful” and has accused the Conservative government of being too slow in putting the country into lockdown, in testing people for the virus, and in getting critical protective gear for medical workers.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab sought to ease any worries, saying the additional deaths were a cumulative total going back to March 2. “They don’t represent a sudden surge in the number of deaths,” he said at the government’s daily press briefing. There is also an acknowledgement that the new figures underestimate the total death toll in care homes as they only include those who have tested positive for the coronavirus.