Coronavirus-related UK deaths rise by 22 in lowest Sunday toll since quarantine began
5 July 2020, 18:41
The number of coronavirus-related deaths has risen by 22 more people which is the lowest Sunday toll since the beginning of lockdown.
The Department of Health and Social Care said 44,220 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Saturday - up by 22 from 44,198 the previous day.
The Government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 55,000.
The DHSC also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Sunday, there were 516 positive results. Overall, a total of 285,416 cases have been confirmed.
A further 18 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 28,889, NHS England said.
Patients were aged between 54 and 94 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.
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Public Health Wales said one more person has died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths there to 1,531.
The total number of positive tests has increased in Wales by 15 to 15,890.
The figures come the same weekend as England loosening restrictions on social distancing measures and reopening pubs.
Some critics have been worried about scenes yesterday which showed pub revellers not abiding by social distancing measures despite warnings from experts.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Government's message to the public is to enjoy the new relaxations but to "do it safely".
A former scientific adviser claimed a further 27,000 excess deaths could be "likely" between now and next April if the current approach to coronavirus is followed.
Sir David King said: "What we are saying is 27,000 excess deaths are likely between now and next April if the expectation by the chief medical officer is that he would be surprised and delighted if the UK is in the same place next spring.
"If he's correct we would still have about 2,000 to 3,000 new infections in England per day and that is the number of deaths that would follow from that."
