Britain is likely to hit the grim milestone of 20, (deaths due to coronavirus later on Saturday.
This is likely to happen when the daily count is added to the current toll of 19, 823 people who tested positive for the virus and died in hospital later today.
The death toll from Covid – in hospitals across the United Kingdom increased on Friday by 684 in (hours to) , 823
The Government’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on March that keeping the toll under the number of 25, would be ‘a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get’ .
Britain has the fifth highest official coronavirus death toll in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France.
Scientists have said that the death rate will start to decline quickly only in another couple of weeks.
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The total number of fatalities is likely to be thousands higher once more comprehensive but lagging figures that include deaths in nursing homes are added.
As of April , the hospital toll underestimated deaths by around %.
The UK government, which was slower than European peers to impose a lockdown, has been heavily criticized over limited testing capacity and for failing to deliver enough personal protective equipment to frontline health workers.
A website for essential workers to apply for a home coronavirus test was shut down on Friday, just hours after the government announced that a greater range of people would now be eligible for testing.
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