Coronavirus: UK deaths hit 184 as 39 more die in England
Written by News on 20/03/2020
The number of people who have died in England after contracting coronavirus has risen by 39 in a day – taking the UK’s total to 184.
It comes after a third person – a 71-year-old with underlying health conditions – died in Wales after contracting COVID-19, according to authorities there on Friday morning.
Northern Ireland also confirmed testing there had resulted in nine new positive cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Northern Ireland to 86.
There were 3,269 confirmed cases in the UK recorded by Thursday evening. The number of confirmed cases will be updated later today.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK “can turn the tide” against coronavirus in the next 12 weeks – but subsequently admitted the government “don’t know how long” the crisis will last for.
Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Thursday, Mr Johnson revealed the government is in talks to buy “hundreds of thousands” of tests to reveal if people are immune.
He also said the first British patient had been put in a randomised trial for a treatment for COVID-19.
Mr Johnson thanked Britons for their “huge efforts” in complying with government advice on stopping the spread of the disease.
He said: “We’re asking students to put their education on hold, we’re asking people not to socialise in the normal way and already we can see the impact this is having on the UK economy and on business, on great, great companies.
“So it’s vital that we in government stand behind them when what we are asking everyone to do is so crucial for saving literally thousands of lives by fighting this virus.”
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Britons to follow the government’s coronavirus advice – saying life will return to normal more quickly if everyone does so.
He told Sky News that embracing social distancing measures will help the UK avoid “difficult situations” like those seen in Italy, where hospitals are overwhelmed with gravely ill patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
And with schools set to close on Friday, the Department for Education published a list of “key workers” deemed “essential” to the COVID-19 response and whose children will continue to be cared for at school amid the pandemic.
More follows…
(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: UK deaths hit 184 as 39 more die in England
