The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 4 lakh people worldwide (File)
London:
The death toll in UK COVID-19 approached 52,000 on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally of official data sources which highlighted the country’s place as one of the most affected in the world.
New data for England and Wales brought the number to 51,766, the highest in Europe and placing the United Kingdom only behind the far larger United States in a pandemic that killed more than 40,000 people worldwide.
Such a high death toll has sparked criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, according to opposition parties, was too slow to lock in or protect the elderly in retirement homes, or to build a test and trace system.
The Reuters count includes deaths in which COVID-19 was mentioned on death certificates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until May 29 and until May 31 in Scotland. It also includes more recent hospital deaths.
Contrary to the lower number of deaths published daily by the government, the Reuters count includes suspect cases – which gives a more precise picture because tests were rare at the start of the crisis.
The Johnson government has stated that it is making real progress in reducing the number of deaths that occur every day.
The number of deaths in the UK for confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 55 to 40,597 on Monday, the smallest increase since a lockout was imposed in March.
However, the number of deaths even exceeds certain projections of the government’s own scientific advisers.
In March, Britain’s chief scientific adviser said keeping deaths below 20,000 would be a “good result”. In April, Reuters announced that the government’s worst case scenario was 50,000 dead.
Epidemiologists say that excess mortality – deaths from any cause that exceed the five-year average for the time of year – is the best way to measure deaths from an outbreak, because it is internationally comparable.
Although these figures take longer to compile, Britain is doing badly here too.
About 64,000 more people than usual died in the UK during this year’s pandemic, according to the latest data available, an expert from the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
