UK coronavirus death toll grows by 178 in England in 24 hours as total hits 31,765

CORONAVIRUS deaths in the UK have jumped to at least 31,765 after 178 more people died in England.

NHS England confirmed the latest victims were aged between 32 and 98 – with 12 having no underlying health condition.

The grim total means 23,149 people have died in hospitals in England so far.

And it pushes the total number of deaths in the UK to 31,765 – although the official figures for both care home and hospital deaths will be released by the government later today.

Among the latest deaths is an NHS nurse who told her family she had a “duty” to help patients with the deadly disease.

Onyenachi Obasi, 51, was remembered as a “dedicated and loving” worker who “gave her life” doing what she loved.

And dad-of-four Augustine Agyei-Mensah, who worked with people with learning disabilities, also lost his life to the killer bug.

The tragic deaths bring the total number of NHS and care home workers who have died to 203.

It comes as:

• Boris Johnson will address the nation tonight at 7pm as he unveils his road map out of lockdown
• The PM is due to increase fines for lockdown flouters after cops called for tougher measures
• The Queen is to withdraw from public duties in the longest absence of her reign
• Nine in ten people do not want Boris to ease lockdown today 
• China’s president reportedly asked WHO to hold back coronavirus details and delay a warning

In Wales, a further 12 people have died – with their total now at 1,111.

While Scotland has suffered another ten deaths – bringing their total to 1,857.

And five people have died in Northern Ireland – with a total of 435 deaths.

Yesterday, 346 more people died in the UK – bringing the total number of victims to 31,587.

The figure was lower than Friday’s total of 626 but the number is smaller at the weekend due to a lag in reporting.

It comes as Boris Johnson is due to speak to the nation tonight to unveil his “road map” out of lockdown.

The PM will warn the UK is about to enter the most dangerous phase of the battle against coronavirus and urge “maximum caution”.

He told The Sun on Sunday: “This is the dangerous bit.

“We’re past the peak now but we’ll have to work even harder to get every step right.

“Mountaineers always say that coming down from the peak is the most dangerous bit. That’s when you’re liable to be over-confident and make mistakes.

“You have very few options on the climb up — but it’s on the descent you have to make sure you don’t run too fast, lose control and stumble.”

Boris is also due to unveil a revamped slogan to replace the current “Stay home” message with “Stay alert”.

He is due to give the go-ahead for garden centres to re-open and guidance to employers so they can ensure a safe and strictly-controlled working environment for returning staff.

Bigger fines will also be issued to lockdown flouters after the bank holiday scorcher saw Brits flock to parks the seaside.

He will also launch a new track and trace monitoring system designed to detect any future outbreaks and ensure they do not get out of control.

But a poll for The Sun on Sunday found 90 per cent of people do not want lockdown eased to avoid the risk of the disease.