Britain's COVID-19 death toll surpasses 30,000 - minister
Britain's COVID-19 death toll has risen by 649 to 30,076, according to figures announced on Wednesday by government minister Robert Jenrick. The figures, which reflect deaths in all settings following positive tests for coronavirus, cover the period up to 1600 GMT on Tuesday.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 08:12 | 06 May 2020
- Modified Date: 08:12 | 06 May 2020
The U.K. has become the second country to record more than 30,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said at the government's daily briefing that another 649 people in the U.K. have died in all settings, including hospitals and care homes, after testing positive for the coronavirus.
That takes the U.K.'s official death toll to 30,076, only behind the United States, which has more than 71,000 coronavirus-related deaths.
The British government is expected to extend the lockdown restrictions on Thursday when they come up for review, partly because deaths remain elevated despite falling when measured over a seven-day period.
Jenrick also said that just under 70,000 tests for the coronavirus were conducted on Tuesday. That's short of the 100,000 target the government had set for the end of April, which it managed to achieve twice.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a new target for testing capacity of 200,000 tests a day by the end of May.
- Donald Trump vetoes resolution limiting military force on Iran
- Tribal clashes in Sudan’s Darfur leave at least 30 dead
- Israel's Supreme Court clears Netanyahu to form government despite corruption charges
- Maduro says captured Americans to be tried in Venezuela
- French coronavirus death toll close to 26,000, draws nearly level with Spain