UK coronavirus death toll passes 19,000 with 684 new deaths recorded
24 April 2020, 15:18
A further 684 people have died in hospitals from coronavirus in the UK, the Department of Health has confirmed.
This brings the total UK death toll to 19,506 as of 5pm on Friday, the Department of Health said.
Today’s jump in deaths is another significant daily increase, following 616 yesterday, but a drop of the 759 deaths seen on Wednesday.
The Department of Health also said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, a total of 444,222 people have been tested of which 143,464 tested positive.
NHS England has announced 587 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 17,373.
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A further 110 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths there to 751, health officials said.
Public Health Wales said a further 243 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 8,601.
Just 1,027 tests were carried out on Thursday, with a total of 29,931 carried out across Wales. There is current capacity for 1,800 tests daily.
A total of 1,184 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, a rise of 64 from 1,120 on Thursday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, she said 9,697 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, an increase of 288 from 9,409 the day before.
Some 15 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the last 24 hours in Northern Ireland, according to the daily update from the Public Health Agency (PHA).
This brings the PHA's total for the region to 278.
The figures come as coronavirus home testing kits have already run out on the day of launch for a new programme hoping to test millions of essential workers.
Yesterday, the Government announced it is hoping to boost testing numbers by allowing key workers who have symptoms, or where a member of their family has symptoms, to test at home.
But the kits, available on the gov.uk website, ran out by mid-morning , with only drive-through centre appointments available.
Earlier on Friday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told LBC the "super simple booking system" would "make it as easy as possible for people to get tests."
The Government has apologised for any inconvenience and said they were trying to "rapidly increase availability."
It has also been confirmed that Boris Johnson is on “great form and raring to go” after recovering from coronavirus.
The Prime Minister was reported to be returning to work as early as Monday, but the Health Secretary said: “that’s a decision for him and his doctors.”
