UK coronavirus death toll reaches 20,732 after a further 413 deaths
26 April 2020, 17:14
The number of people to die in UK hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 413 to 20,732.
A total of 152,840 have now tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK.
NHS England confirmed that the latest victims in the nation were aged between 28 and 94.
The total number of deaths each day from the virus is on a rough downward trend and, according to statistics from NHS England, the peak could have been on 8 April.
But there are fears that there could be a second wave of infections later this year.
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Lung patient asks people to stay home for NHS
Government across the world are under increasing pressure to lift lockdown restrictions due to devastating economic and sociological effects.
Dominic Raab has rejected calls for a lift of the restrictions which have come from within the Conservative Party's ranks.
Mr Raab stressed ministers would proceed "cautiously" in order to avoid a second peak in cases and deaths.
"We are at a delicate and dangerous stage," he told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme.
"We need to make sure that the next steps are sure-footed, which is why we are proceeding very cautiously and we are sticking to the scientific advice with the social distancing measures at this time, whilst doing all the homework to make sure that we are prepared in due course for the next phase."
The foreign secretary has been deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who is set to return to work at Downing Street on Monday - while the UK leader recovers from coronavirus.
As of April 10, the global death toll passed 100,000, three months after the first Covid-19 deaths emerged.
But it has taken only two weeks for the toll to double and the number of infections is approaching three million.
