The country’s overall death toll jumped mid-week after a change in reporting, by including deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.
A veteran wearing a Royal Hospital Chelsea hat, and in PPE (personal protective equipment) of a face mask, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, stands outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London (Photo: AFP)
The UK on Saturday announced 621 more deaths in the coronavirus outbreak, taking the overall cumulative toll to 28,131, just behind Europe’s worst-hit country Italy.
According to the government, 182,260 people had tested positive for COVID-19, up 4,806 on Friday. But hospital admissions had fallen.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country had “past the peak” of the virus, as he comes under mounting pressure to ease lockdown restrictions imposed in late March.
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During a daily briefing, housing minister Robert Jenrick”The very strong advice today is that moment has not yet come,”
In the meantime, the public should remain at home except to shop for essential groceries, medicine or to exercise, he added.
Just under 106,000 tests were carried on Friday, Jenrick said.
Earlier this week, PM Johnson said the lockdown would not be relaxed too soon and details on any changes would be set out over the “coming days”.
The country’s overall death toll jumped mid-week after a change in reporting, by including deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.
Johnson was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital on the advice of his doctor, after continuing to have a cough and high temperature 10 days after testing positive for the virus.
On March 23, the Prime Minister ordered the initial three-week lockdown to tackle the spread of the virus, shutting “non-essential” shops and services, and banning gatherings of more than two people.
More than 2,40,000 people have died of the new coronavirus worldwide with over 85% of the deaths in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally on Saturday based on official figures.
There have been 2,40,231 deaths out of 33,71,435 global cases since the virus emerged in China in December. Europe is the worst-hit continent accounting for 1,41,475 deaths out of 15,16,635 cases.
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