Report also includes more recent UK hospital deaths (representational)
London:
The suspected death toll from COVID-19 in the UK has reached 54,139, according to a Reuters count of official data sources that point to the country’s status as one of the most affected in the world.
The Reuters count includes deaths in which COVID-19 was mentioned on death certificates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until June 12 and until June 14 in Scotland. It also includes more recent hospital deaths.
Unlike the lower number of deaths published daily by the government, the figures on the death certificate include suspected cases.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which updates the figures weekly, said Tuesday that the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales until June 12 had increased to 48,866.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Tuesday that pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers in England could reopen on July 4 in an effort to revitalize the foreclosed economy.
But the high number of deaths means that criticism of its handling of the pandemic – that Britain was too slow to lock in or protect the elderly in nursing homes – is likely to persist.
Johnson said the government had followed the best scientific advice and described its response to the pandemic in April as “apparent success”.
Britain has the second highest number of deaths in the world per capita, according to Reuters calculations based on deaths from confirmed coronavirus tests.
However, death registration tests and methods differ from country to country and UK ministers say it will take some time before they can make proper comparisons.
The number of deaths published daily by the government, which measures deaths in which patients had tested positive for the coronavirus, amounted to 42,927 on Tuesday, after 171 new deaths were reported on Monday and 109 other deaths since April have been reclassified due to COVID-19.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
