Friday, April 19

UK virus death toll crosses 39,000


 

 

The UK’s official coronavirus death toll has risen by 111 as Brits enjoy the first day of the less strict lockdown rules.

The Department of Health this afternoon said the death toll since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has risen to 39,045.

Yesterday’s death toll was 38,489 after 113 deaths were reported overnight into Sunday. Matt Hancock today said there were 128,437 tests carried out in the UK yesterday, taking the total to 4.48million tests conducted since the start of the crisis.

There were 1,570 cases confirmed as of yesterday – the lowest number since March 25. Hancock said it showed a continued downward progress.

There are 606 people on mechanical ventilators, the lowest since March. The latest figures were issued this afternoon and include deaths in all settings such as hospitals and care homes.

Earlier it was announced 115 had died in hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Death tolls on Monday are typically lower due to a lag in reporting over the weekend.

Earlier today health authorities confirmed  a further 115 people have died from coronavirus  in UK hospitals.

In England, 108 more people have died of coronavirus in hospitals, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths there to 26,722.

There have been five further deaths in Welsh hospitals, one in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland. However, there were promising signs today as bosses at 69 hospitals across the country have reported no coronavirus deaths in 48 hours, new data has revealed.

The NHS England data analysed by Oxford University researchers shows more than 57 per cent of UK trusts made the reports.

Meanwhile in London, three hospitals have reported no deaths for an entire week. The figures were also reflected across the country with just under 10 per cent – 13 hospital trusts reporting no deaths for the whole week.

The true Covid-19 overall death toll is much higher than official government figures. The true figure, collated by the Office for National Statistics, is more than 47,300 based on death certificates from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.