UK death toll passes 10,000 as 657 die in England alone in 24hrs – The Sun

That is a leap from Saturday's total of 9,875 as the country remains in lockdown battling against the virus.

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Of the 657, there were 42 patients aged between 30 and 98 who had no known underlying health condition.

On Friday, Britain's coronavirus death toll jumped by 980 in 24 hours – making it the biggest rise yet and more deadly than Spain's worst day of their outbreak (961).

Further 24 patients die from COVID-19 in Scotland, bringing total deaths there to 566, the Scottish Government said.

A further 18 patients have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths  to 369, health officials said.

Public Health Wales said a further 367 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,297.

The number of people with coronavirus who have died in a hospital setting in Northern Ireland has risen to 118, with 11 further deaths reported on Sunday.

There were 89 new cases of the virus, bringing the total of confirmed positive tests in the region since the outbreak began to 1,806, officials said.

The death toll continues to climb as officials believe new Covid-19 infections will peak on Easter Sunday and the NHS is braced for a "tsunami" of cases.

NHS England said yesterday afternoon the 823 more who have died in England were between 11 and 102 years old.

And 33 of those patients – between 29 and 94 years old – had no known underlying health condition.

Previously, the UK's youngest coronavirus victim was "very healthy" 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab.

Matt Hancock told Friday's No 10 press conference the devastating figures did not mean the NHS is being "overrun" by the pandemic.

He said: "I'm very pleased, that thus far in this crisis, there is no point where the NHS has been overrun, and every single person with coronavirus has been able to access the best possible care in the NHS, because we have taken the action to expand the NHS."

Social distancing could be in place indefinitely, while the government works to battle the killer virus causing chaos across the world.

More than 108,000 people have now died from coronavirus, with more than 1.7 million.

Although plans show the lockdown is likely to be in place for a few more months at least, The Telegraph reports a careful return to classrooms could be the first stage in the virus exit strategy.

Whitehall officials in the Department for Education are thought to be considering plans which would start different age groups going back to school between June and July, after the break.

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But this is said to all hinge on when the peak of the pandemic arrives for the UK.

Scientists modelling the outbreak believe tough social distancing measures have slowed the spread of the bug.

Hospital admissions are now predicted to start falling in around a fortnight, if Brits continue to stay at home.

Last week it was confirmed schools would not reopen after Easter after one minister suggested reopening schools after Easter could “kick-start the economy”.

The unnamed minister was quoted calling for kids to be allowed back to school after the Easter holidays in a fortnight.

Brits could live with coronavirus restrictions until a vaccine is developed which could take "around 18 months", according to reports.

More severe restrictions will be gradually phased out but some, such as remote working and isolating if you have symptoms of the virus, will remain in some form next year.

Scientists say the discovery of a vaccine is the only genuine "exit strategy" from the virus, meaning the country will have to adjust to a 'new normal', the Daily Mail reported.

It comes after foreign secretary Dominic Raab told the nation that it was "too early" to lift the lockdown, and that the country "must stick to the plan" in place.

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