Coronavirus: Another 674 people with COVID-19 die in UK - Sky News

Another 674 people in the UK have died after contracting coronavirus, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister said a total of 26,711 people in the UK have now died after testing positive for COVID-19.

Appearing at the daily Downing Street briefing for the first time since his recovery from coronavirus, Mr Johnson said: "Across this country, families are continuing to lose their loved ones before their time. We grieve for them and with them.

PM thanks NHS for 'getting me back here'

"But as we grieve we are strengthened in our resolve to defeat this virus, to get this whole country back to health, back on its feet."

The PM also said the UK was "now past the peak and on the downward slope" in the coronavirus pandemic.

Advertisement

The latest deaths announced on Thursday included a 15-year-old patient.

It is the second day that the UK death total includes fatalities in care homes and the wider community as well as in hospitals.

More from Covid-19

There are now more 171,000 known cases of coronavirus in the UK - an increase of more than 6,000 since Wednesday.

The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance said there had been a decrease in the number of new cases, as well as a decrease in the number of COVID-19 deaths.

He said: "The number of new cases is down, that's turning into fewer admissions, fewer people in hospital, fewer people in intensive care and we're beginning to see that decrease in deaths."

The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK stood at 26,097 on Wednesday.

The country now has the second highest number of recorded COVID-19 deaths in Europe and the third highest in the world.

Italy has registered more than 27,600 coronavirus deaths, the highest tally in Europe, while more than 60,000 people have died in the US after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

However countries record their coronavirus deaths in different ways so it is difficult to compare them like-for-like.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Since Wednesday, the government's daily update on the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has included fatalities in care homes and the wider community as well as in hospitals.

According to the latest data for the UK:

• Coronavirus deaths in hospitals in England increased by 391 to 20,137
• Deaths in Scotland rose by 60 to 1,475
• In Wales, another 22 people died with COVID-19, taking its total to 908
• Northern Ireland recorded nine more coronavirus deaths, with its total now at 347

Health authorities in the four UK nations record their own daily figures, which may not tally with the government's overall UK total because they collate their numbers at different times throughout the day.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland admitted it was "probable" that the government will fail to meet its target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests by the end of this month.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWFub3RoZXItNjc0LXBlb3BsZS13aXRoLWNvdmlkLTE5LWRpZS1pbi11ay0xMTk4MTEwNdIBXmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1hbm90aGVyLTY3NC1wZW9wbGUtd2l0aC1jb3ZpZC0xOS1kaWUtaW4tdWstMTE5ODExMDU?oc=5

2020-04-30 16:09:12Z
52780755992542