The UK coronavirus death toll has risen to 2,961 fatalities, after 569 more people have died today
The UK coronavirus death toll has risen by 569 today to 2,961 people in the largest rise in daily cases on record so far.
The number of positive cases of infection of the disease has also risen in the UK by 4,244 since yesterday to the total amount of 33,718 cases.
The Department of Health have also announced today that 163,194 people have been tested so far, with 10,657 tests carried out in England alone yesterday.
A further 19 people have died from the coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of fatalities to 117.
50 more people have died in Scotland in the last 24 hours, bringing their total number of deaths to 126.
The numbers of deaths due to COVID-19 in England and Northern Ireland in the last 24 hours are yet to be released.
This news comes after the death rate increased by 50 per cent yesterday, when 563 died after contracting the coronavirus, making it the UK’s deadliest day until today.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted a video on twitter of himself in self-isolation, where he announced that 397 million extra sets of protective equipment had been shipped in for “amazing” NHS staff.
The Prime Minister said:
“Let’s be in no doubt this has been a sad, sad day, 563 more cases, a record in a single day.”
“But let’s be in no doubt, that if we can follow the programme that we’re currently set upon, if we can comply with the measures that we’ve embarked on together then I have absolutely no doubt that we will begin to start to push those numbers down, and we will turn the tide of the coronavirus in the next few weeks and months.”
His announcement came before it was revealed that over 70 healthcare professionals, working for the NHS at Great Ormond Street hospital, had be confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, 318 staff members are currently off sick.
