UK sees highest daily coronavirus death toll as cases hit new record high of more than 68,000

The UK has recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic to date.

Another 1,325 Covid-19 deaths were reported overnight – the highest single-day toll yet.

It surpasses the previous record of 1,224 on April 21 by more than 100.

A record number of cases were also confirmed over the past 24 hours, with 68,053 reported on the Government dashboard as of Friday.

The total number of infections recorded across the country since the start of the pandemic now stands at 2,957,472, while the total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test is 79,833, according to the Department of Health.

However, separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been more than 95,000 fatalities involving the virus in the country.

It should also be noted that the official death figures continue to be affected by a lag in the publication of recent data. They include some fatalities that occurred over the Christmas and New Year period that have only just been reported.

The sobering figures were published hours after London mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” as the spread of the virus threatens to “overwhelm” the capital’s hospitals.

City Hall said Covid-19 cases in London had exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, while there are 35 per cent more people in hospital with the virus than in the peak of the pandemic in April.

A “major incident” means the “severity of the consequences” associated with it are “likely to constrain or complicate the ability of responders to resource and manage the incident”.

Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England’s regional director for London, said: “This is the biggest threat our city has faced in this pandemic to date.

“The emergence of the new variant means we are setting record case rates at almost double the national average, with at least one in 30 people (in London) now thought to be carrying the virus.

“Our NHS services are under immense pressure and currently another 800 people are being admitted to our hospitals every day.”

Lockdown London

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Scientists advising the Government believe the current lockdown may lead to a plateau of cases of coronavirus across the UK rather than the dramatic cut seen during the national shutdown over March and April.

They estimate there are currently more than 100,000 new infections per day and possibly higher than 150,000.

They believe this estimate puts the current number of daily cases at a higher level than during the first wave of the pandemic.

However, once the current lockdown and vaccine rollout take effect, deaths from Covid-19 are expected to start dropping in February, while hospital admissions should drop after that.

Infections are expected to drop in the spring due to vaccination plus the fact people spend more time outdoors, making it harder for the virus to spread.

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