The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen to at least 27, 975 after 465 more people died in hospitals. The toll was updated after England recorded another 370 deaths in hospitals, Scotland another 40, Wales another 44 and Northern Ireland another 11.
As of yesterday, the total number of people who have died of Covid-19 in all settings stood at 27,510. The new number will rise even further later today, when deaths in care homes and the wider community are announced.
Previously, the Department of Health only included deaths in hospitals in their daily figures. That number now stands at at least 23,753. The government began including care home deaths in their figures earlier this week, amid concern it reflected a significant hidden death toll.
The UK now has the third highest number of recorded deaths in the world, which critics have blamed on the government’s slow response to the outbreak, including its testing strategy.
The government announced yesterday that it had hit its 100,000 a day target, which it pledged to reach by the end of April.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said 112, 347 tests had been provided in the 24 hours to 9am on May 1st. Matt Hancock says government has met 100K testing target Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time0:00 / Duration Time1:38 Fullscreen