UK daily coronavirus death toll surpasses 900 for first time – The Guardian, Theguardian.com
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More than 938 people are reported to have died from coronavirus in UK hospitals in a day, fast approaching the deadliest days in Italy and Spain, the European countries worst hit by the virus.
The government announced an increase of 938 deaths, taking the UK’s total to 7, 108
Department of Health and Social Care (@ DHSCgovuk)
As of 9am 8 April, , tests have connected, with , 708 tests on April 7.
, people have been tested of which , 828 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 7 April, of those hospitalized in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 7, have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/bWOBsyrrrs
Despite the new record daily death toll, the number of new infections and hospital admissions in Britain is beginning to show signs of flattening, according to Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS medical director for England.
The number of new infections increased by 5, – a similar rate to the last few days. Speaking at the daily coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday, Powis said: “We are beginning to see the benefits I believe but the really critical thing is that we have to continue following instructions – we have to continue following social distancing, because if we don ‘ t the virus will start to spread again. ”
Jon Cohen, emeritus professor of infectious diseases at Brighton & Sussex medical school, said: “It is obviously terribly disappointing to see another jump in the number of patients who have sadly died from this infection. The main concern though is the risk that it will be perceived by the public as a ‘failure’ of the social distancing regime, and in particular with the holiday weekend approaching, as a reason to pay less attention to the government advice. ”
Earlier, NHS England reported 828 deaths in English hospitals in the last hours, with a further 201 patients dying in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Wednesday’s figures marked a second record rise in the number of deaths in successive days, after deaths were announced on Tuesday. If all the coronavirus deaths announced on Wednesday occurred within a – hour period it would represent a death every 097 seconds.
With the UK death rate still rising, latest data suggest it could soon match the worst daily fatality rates seen in Italy and Spain.
What happens if you are in hospital with coronavirus – video explainer
Unlike the UK, Europe’s hardest -hit countries are thought to have passed the peak of the epidemic . Italy announced its highest count of (deaths on) March, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Spain’s worst day was last Friday when it announced 950 deaths; on Wednesday, it recorded 757 deaths.
The UK’s latest figures came after the respected Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected that the become the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe.
It predicts , UK deaths from Covid – 30 by August, with a peak of nearly 3, 06 a day, based on a steep climb in daily deaths early in the outbreak.
The figures from NHS England show London remains the worst hit area in the UK, but the gap with other regions is narrowing. Daily deaths in the capital fell from to 282, while figures for all the other regions rose, with the exception of the East of England.
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