UK coronavirus death toll reaches 463 with 41 dying in one day

25 March 2020, 20:54

The death toll in the UK from coronavirus continues to rise, with 463 now confirmed to have succumbed to the illness.

The latest figure, confirmed 41 people across country died in the time from 1pm on Tuesday to 9am on Wednesday.

In total, 9,529 people have now been infected .

NHS England said on Wednesday night that a further 28 people, aged between 47 and 93, died in England.

The 47-year-old did not have any underlying health conditions, officials said.

Earlier this afternoon, Scotland confirmed a further six deaths - taking the nation's total to 22.

A further 51 people are currently in intensive care units with either confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

In Wales, five more people have died, also bringing their total to 22.

Northern Ireland has reported two more people died in the past 24 hours.

Earlier, Boris Johnson said the Government was "massively ramping up" testing for coronavirus, as he announced that 405,000 people have now signed up as volunteers to help vulnerable people.

He said it was hoped that "very soon" 250,000 tests would be carried out each day.

It was also earlier confirmed that the Prince of Wales has been diagnosed with Covid-19.

Prince Charles 71, is now self-isolating at home in Scotland with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, who does not have the virus.

A statement said Charles had "mild symptoms" and the couple had received tests on the NHS in Aberdeenshire after meeting the requirements for testing.

During the press conference, England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, dismissed claims made earlier by Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England (PHE), who said members of the public will be able to carry out coronavirus antibody tests at home very soon.

She said 3.5 million tests, which will tell people whether they have had the virus, would be made available and distributed via Amazon and in places like Boots.
But Prof Whitty said members of the public would not be buying these tests via the internet next week.

He stressed that frontline NHS workers would need the tests first, so they could get back to work if they have had already had the virus.

The NHS is also carrying out separate tests to see if people currently have the virus, which are being given to patients in hospitals alongside some community sampling.

Earlier, NHS England's medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, said hundreds of thousands of these tests for Covid-19 per day could become a reality within weeks.