UK coronavirus death toll rises by 18 as another 1,288 test positive
THE UK coronavirus death toll today rose by 18 – bringing the total number to 41,423. In the last 24 hours, 1,288 people also tested positive for the disease with the total number of cases in the UK now at 324,601. This is the highest rise in cases on a Saturday since June 20 but […]
THE UK coronavirus death toll today rose by 18 – bringing the total number to 41,423.
In the last 24 hours, 1,288 people also tested positive for the disease with the total number of cases in the UK now at 324,601.
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This is the highest rise in cases on a Saturday since June 20 but this could be because the government is carrying out more testing.
The latest death figure for the UK is six times higher than last Saturday when three fatalities were recorded.
It comes after authorities recorded just two coronavirus deaths across the UK yesterday, making it the lowest 24-hour jump since lockdown.
On Thursday, just six fatalities across the UK were reported.
But Professor Sir Mark Walport today warned coronavirus will be in Britain forever.
The former chief scientific adviser said people will need regular vaccinations to keep the bug under control.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme today, he said: “This is a virus that is going to be with us forever in some form or another and almost certainly will require repeated vaccinations.”
His warning comes after the World Health Organisation chief said the deadly bug could last for another two years.
Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus compared the virus to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which took “two years to stop”.
He said: “In our situation now with more technology, and of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading, it can move fast because we are more connected now.
“But at the same time, we have also the technology to stop it and the knowledge to stop it.”
Tedros urged countries to engage in “national unity” and “global solidarity”.
Cases of the bug in the UK have continued to climb, however have slowed since the peak in April.
There are currently 841 patients in hospital with coronavirus, down from the high in early April that saw more than 3,500 patients receiving treatment for the bug.
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More than 22.81 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally since it was first identified in China last year and 793,382 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
The United States leads the world with 5.6 million confirmed cases and more than 174,000 deaths.
The WHO said the Balkans region is a “hotspot” for Covid-19.