UK coronavirus deaths now 13,729, expected to rise further
(Sky News) – The number of coronavirus patients who have died in UK hospitals has gone past 13,000 after another 861 deaths.
The Department of Health announced the increase, which takes the total to 13,729.
It comes after chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned of a spike in deaths today due to a probable lag in reporting over Easter weekend, following four consecutive days of sub-800 increases.
The number of tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has also risen by 18,665 to 417,649, although this includes some people being tested more than once.
There have now been 103,093 positive tests for the illness in the UK.
Once again, figures were also provided by health authorities in each of the home nations, which collate their stats at different times throughout the day and so may not tally up to the government’s overall total.
NHS England said another 740 coronavirus patients had died in hospitals in England, taking its total to 12,396.
Of those, 151 occurred on 15 April, 314 were on 14 April, and 122 were on 13 April, with 143 of the fatalities having taken place between 1 April and 12 April.
The remaining 10 happened last month, going back as far as 9 March.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced another 80 deaths in Scotland.
Wales has recorded 32 more deaths, and Northern Ireland recorded another 18.
In each country, the number of deaths now stands at:
England – 12,396
Scotland – 779
Wales – 495
Northern Ireland – 158
However, it has now been well established that the UK’s true COVID-19 death toll is far higher than the daily hospital figures would suggest.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested there were around 75% more coronavirus-related fatalities in England and Wales last month than previously reported by the government.
More than half of those happened in care homes, while others took place in people’s homes and in hospices.
On Wednesday, the National Records of Scotland revealed that – as of 12 April – almost 25% of 962 registered deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned in the death certificate in Scotland had occurred in care homes.
With Professor Whitty having warned that the number of deaths may keep rising, the UK is braced for an extension to its lockdown.
The lockdown has surpassed the original three-week timescale laid out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News it will take time for the measures to be phased out.
He told Kay Burley@Breakfast: “It is too early to say now that we should remove the measures.
“People can see that while we may be reaching a peak the numbers aren’t coming down yet.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Mr Johnson, and fellow ministers are expected to sign off the extension later today after receiving advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
