UK coronavirus death toll nears 42,000 as 233 more fatalities in England hospitals recorded
THE UK coronavirus death toll has today neared 42,000 as another 233 fatalities were recorded.
The increase comes after just 38 more coronavirus deaths were reported yesterday in a sign the deadly bug is loosening its grip on the UK.
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Health authorities today confirmed 41,969 people have so far been killed by coronavirus.
An additional 1,279 people have tested positive – pushing the number of infections to 298,136.
According to the NHS figures today, 79 patients were killed by the bug including eight people aged between 35 and 92, who had no underlying health conditions
Today, Wales reported another eight deaths to see the country's death toll reach 1,456.
Scotland today recorded another five fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total deaths to 2,453.
Meanwhile, one coronavirus death has been recorded in Northern Ireland, bringing the total reported by the Department of Health to 542.
It's a heartening sign that the spread of the deadly bug is slowing down withthe 1172 deaths reported in one day at its peak on April 21.
But ONS figures today suggested the true coronavirus death toll could be 11,000 higher.
The Office for National Statistics figures released today revealed that 47,387 people had died from the virus in England and Wales up to June 5.
And combined with the deaths reported in hospitals since then and the national stats for Scotland and Northern Ireland, there have now been 53,077 deaths across the UK.
The numbers come as the Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week declared Britain is winning the battle against coronavirus.
Mr Hancock said: “We are winning the battle against this horrible disease.”
Lockdown has slowly been easing this week with Monday seeing the reopening of non-essential shops with strict social distancing measures.
But immunologist Sir John Bell today warned that Britain avoiding a second wave of Covid would be “highly surprising”.
He said: “Given the fact that the lockdown has now been largely released, we’re now back in action, and we have still – pretty rapidly declining – but a pretty reasonable level of infections in the community,
“I would be very surprised if we avoided the second wave.
“I think the real question is, are we going to have a number of single outbursts around the country and then a second wave, or are we going to just get a second wave and when will that be?”
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