UK’s coronavirus death toll jumps by record-high 854 in a day with 6,227 known victims
- England records 758 more deaths;74 in Scotland, 19 in Wales and 3 in N. Ireland
- Yesterday’s statistics had been the lowest for a week and a two-day decline
- But hopes are dashed today as the nation hit a new high in fatalities
A record high 854 coronavirus deaths have been announced in the UK today, taking the total to 6,227.
NHS England has confirmed 758 people have died, with authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland announcing a further 96 between them.
Patients were aged between 23 and 102 years old. 29 of the 758 patients (aged between 23 and 99 years old) had no known underlying health condition.
Scotland revealed 74 more deaths had been recorded in the past 24 hours, along with 19 in Wales and three in Northern Ireland.
The death toll is more than double the number announced yesterday and marks a new low for Britain in its battle against the epidemic.
Scientists have, in recent weeks, predicted that the peak of the outbreak would come at Easter, suggesting the nation is in for a turbulent seven days.
Today’s statistics come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care in St Thomas’ Hospital in London after being transferred there last night. His spokesman says, however, that he is in good spirits and breathing on his own.
Although the surge in the number of deaths recorded today is a drastic rise on the 439 which emerged yesterday, a delay in recording data could be to blame.
As the numbers of people dying has increased, so too have the numbers of past deaths which are being rolled into each day’s daily count.
Some of the fatalities announced each day actually happened 10 days ago or more but had not been recorded earlier because of paperwork delays.
And deaths being announced today are likely from patients who were infected weeks ago, meaning they do not indicate that the virus is spreading faster than it was.
In Spain, officials have admitted that deaths tend to build up over the weekend, get missed from statistics released on Monday, and then surge later in the week.
Figures in the UK show that death numbers tend to dip on Mondays before a spike on Tuesday. Last week, however, the number continued to rise all week from Tuesday onwards.
Spain’s deputy emergency health director, Maria Jose Sierra, insisted Spain was still on the right track despite a rise in the number of deaths and new infections today.
She blamed the increase on an accumulation of cases which had not been reported from the weekend. It is not clear whether the same thing is happening in the UK.
Ms Sierra said: ‘This is due to the weekend adjustment. It is still a downwards tendency.’
Medical staff are pictured in an ambulance outside St Thomas’ Hospital in London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being treated