UK suffers largest one day increase in Covid-19

The United Kingdom has recorded 708 new deaths from coronavirus today, the largest one day rise since the outbreak began. Figures released yesterday by the Department of Health and Social Care, suggest a total of 4,313 people have now died in the UK.

In a press briefing yesterday, UK cabinet minister Michael Gove opened by saying “Our thoughts today are with the family of the five year old child with underlying health conditions who tragically died” now the youngest UK death related to complications involving Covid-19.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK is now 41,903, an increase of 3,735 from the previous day’s figures. Gove said that seven healthcare workers had so far died from the virus.

CNN reports that people in the UK are turning to mail-order coronavirus tests as the government scrambles to offer mass public testing and get a hold on the virus’ spread across Britain. The UK health secretary Matt Hancock, back to work after testing positive for Covid-19, said this week that the UK would aim to test 100,000 Britons a day by the end of April. But critics of the government’s U-turn on testing suggest it may have been spurred by about 8% of National Health Service staff being off work because of Covid-19-related issues.

But the newly rolled out government-funded tests by hospitals are unavailable to most people and are still being reserved for those with severe symptoms and frontline health care workers.