Another 596 dead as UK’s coronavirus death toll passes 16,000

Another 596 people have died in hospitals after contracting coronavirus, taking the UK death toll to at least 16,060, the Department of Health (DoH) has confirmed.

Today’s jump in deaths is significantly lower than yesterday’s increase of 888, but death figures tend to drop at the weekend due to delays in fatalities being registered.

The toll was updated after England recorded another 482 deaths. Scotland reported 10 deaths, while 41 were recorded in Wales and Northern Ireland recorded one more death.

The combined daily increase from the four nations comes to 534, which is 62 lower than the number – 596 – later released by the DoH this afternoon.

There is also a difference in the DoH’s death toll – 16,060 – and the combined figure from England (14,400), Scotland (903), Wales (575), and Northern Ireland (194), which is 12 higher at 16,072.

The government has said this difference is because each devolved authority often makes amendments to their own data after reporting deaths to the DoH each day.

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It is important to note that all of these deaths occurred in hospitals across the UK. They do not take into account the people dying at home, in care facilities, hospices, or other locations outside of hospitals.

The latest figures were released after Michael Gove was forced to deny suggestions the Government has drawn up plans for a three-tiered relaxation of lockdown measures.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster confirmed Boris Johnson had not attended five meetings of the key Government Cobra committee in the build-up to the coronavirus outbreak.

But Mr Gove insisted criticism of Boris Johnson over this was ‘grotesque’.

Mr Gove poured cold water on suggestions a ‘traffic light’ strategy is about to be brought in which would see some schools and businesses allowed to reopen in mid-May.

Mr Gove told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: ‘We have stressed that the reporting in today’s newspapers that schools will reopen on May 11, that is not true, we have not made that decision.’

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson also denied a decision had been made to reopen schools.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said ministers do not want to ‘take steps too early’ despite the rate of infection appearing ‘to be flattening’.

It followed an investigation in The Sunday Times in which a Whitehall source claimed the Government ‘missed the boat on testing and PPE’ (personal protective equipment) and ‘just watched’ as the death toll mounted in Wuhan, China.

The virus has now claimed the lives of more than 2 million people worldwide, including 15,464 in hospitals in the UK, according to latest figures.

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