New look statistics reveal UK death toll is now 26,097

By Tim Le Couilliard, Senior Executive

The First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, gave both today’s Downing Street briefing and Prime Minister Questions, as the Prime Minister, who has just returned to work again after recovering from coronavirus, today announced that his partner, Carrie Symonds, has given birth to a baby boy. As announced by Raab, both mother and baby are doing well and congratulations to them all!

During PMQs, Raab confirmed that 250,000 is the next testing “aspiration” and that the 100,000 marker is just a “staging point”.  Raab announced that 818,539 tests have now been carried out, with 52,429 taking place yesterday (a drop from the previous daily high of 73,400).

Today was the first day that the statistics include daily figures for deaths outside hospitals. As a result, the UK death toll increased to 26,097 people who have now died with coronavirus, in hospitals, care homes and in the community. This is an increase of 3,811 on the previously announced number, including an increase of 765 for the last 24 hours.

Addressing the government’s five-point tests that will guide their approach to easing the lockdown, Raab stated that while we are seeing a flattening of the peak, this is only happening due to the social distancing measures and the increased NHS capacity. While the country is still coming through the peak, the UK is at a “delicate and dangerous moment in this crisis” and thus people should not let up now and to continue their commitment to the measures. 

The government is keen to avoid a second spike that, in Raab’s words “would be harmful to public health, and would result in many more deaths, and would itself lead to a second lockdown and further the economic pain”. Echoing the words of the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, last week, Raab said, “that would not just be economically dangerous, it would inflict a serious blow to public confidence.” Raab noted that since Germany has reduced its lockdown, it has seen a rise in the transmission of coronavirus.

There is “light at the end of the tunnel” however, as the government has begun looking at the options for the next stage of the government’s plans. The country is now waiting for SAGE’s next review of the lockdown in early May before any changes. 

Addressing the work that his own department, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has done in the national effort, Raab noted that since the start of the outbreak in Wuhan,  1.3 million nationals have returned to Britain on commercial flights and 20,000 non-commercial, government chartered flights as well as all 19,000 British passengers of cruise ships.  The “job isn’t done” however, and Raab has committed to maintaining the “massive effort” to return British nationals. 

Finally, on an update on the vaccine trials being carried out in the country. The UK has today announced that the UK will provide GAVI, the international vaccine alliance, £330 million each year for the next five years to support the global vaccine effort.