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Coronavirus UK: hospital deaths rise to 20,319 - latest updates Coronavirus UK: home secretary Priti Patel gives daily briefing as hospital deaths rise to 20,319
(32 minutes later)
Grim milestone comes almost six weeks after chief scientific adviser said keeping toll under that number would be ‘a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get’Grim milestone comes almost six weeks after chief scientific adviser said keeping toll under that number would be ‘a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get’
Powis says transport use continues to fall across public transport and roads. There is concern that motor vehicle use is starting to rise again.
Data from Apple Maps shows a decrease since lockdown in requests for walking, driving or public transport directions.
He says it’s tempting to go out in warm, sunny weather, but he can’t emphasise enough that we are not through this yet and it’s critical people continue to comply with physical distancing measures.
Prof Stephen Powis is speaking now.
The NHS has not been overwhelmed and capacity is coping, he says.
He reminds people the NHS is still available for treatments for conditions that are not coronavirus including sick children, pregnant women, stroke and heart conditions.
Call 111, contact your GP or dial 999 in a real emergency, he reminds everyone.
Fast diagnosis and treatment is absolutley crucial, he says, so do not delay. The NHS is still there for you.
Lynne Owens says thinkyouknow.co.uk has materials and details to help protect children online.
Fraudsters target members of the public by phone, text and email with scams relating to fake prescription drugs, she says.
She urges the public to exercise caution and report anything suspicious to your bank and to Action Fraud.
Lynne Owens is speaking now.
Criminals have adapted to this situation but so has law enforcement, she says.
Serious and organised criminals are looking to take advantage of these unprecedented times – they are “amoral, corrupt and exploitative”, she says.
Offenders are trying to avoid lockdown rules to continue illicit activities, she says.
More than 2,000 scams relating to coronavirus have been taken down online, including fake shops, phishing scams, and the selling of fake testing kits and PPE, she says.
Priti Patel says staying at home for almost five weeks has been tough for many.
Every single person across the UK has given up a great deal, she says.
Our efforts are working and your sacrifices are saving lives, she says.
It’s imperative that people continue to follow the rules designed to protect their loved ones, she adds. We all want to return to normal as soon and as safely as we can, Patel says.
The five tests must first be met, she says. These five conditions under which the lockdown might be eased were set out by Dominic Raab earlier this month.
Patel says criminals will not be allowed to take advantage of these unprecedented times.
Crime has fallen compared to the same period last year.
However, she says criminals continue to capitalise on this crisis. Law enforcement is on to you, she tells them.
Priti Patel says the entire nation is grieving as the UK passes another significant milestone.
She pays tribute to frontline workers whose exceptional public service and sacrifice, she says, will not be forgotten.
The home secretary is speaking now.
As of 9am, 640,792 tests have now been carried out in the UK, including 28,760 yesterday.
148,377 people have tested positive, an increase of 4,913 cases since yesterday.
16,411 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, down from 17,049 yesterday.
Of those in hospital, 20,319 have died, an increase of 813 fatalities since yesterday.
The government’s daily coronavirus news briefing is due to start shortly and will be led for the second time by the home secretary, Priti Patel.
She will be joined by Prof Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, and Lynne Owens, the director-general of the National Crime Agency.
Here is some much-needed joy.Here is some much-needed joy.
A six-month-old “miracle baby” born with a heart condition has recovered from coronavirus. Nurses clapped and cheered through tears as baby Erin was moved out of isolation at Alder Hey hospital having tested positive two weeks ago.A six-month-old “miracle baby” born with a heart condition has recovered from coronavirus. Nurses clapped and cheered through tears as baby Erin was moved out of isolation at Alder Hey hospital having tested positive two weeks ago.
She remains in the Merseyside hospital for treatment for other ongoing conditions but is doing well, staff said.She remains in the Merseyside hospital for treatment for other ongoing conditions but is doing well, staff said.
The Liverpool Echo has the story.The Liverpool Echo has the story.
A further 813 people have died in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the UK total to 20,319.A further 813 people have died in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the UK total to 20,319.
It comes almost six weeks after the chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on 17 March that keeping the toll under 20,000 would be “a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get”.It comes almost six weeks after the chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on 17 March that keeping the toll under 20,000 would be “a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get”.
Northern Ireland has confirmed a further 16 patients have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total there to 294.Northern Ireland has confirmed a further 16 patients have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total there to 294.
Another 104 patients have tested positive, taking the total number of positive cases to 3,226.Another 104 patients have tested positive, taking the total number of positive cases to 3,226.
The public in Wales are getting used to stricter regulations about leaving their homes as they spend their fifth weekend under lockdown.
Revised restrictions which came into force on Saturday across Wales tell people they must exercise “as close as possible” to home.
While parts of the country enjoyed the warm weather, police were continuing to carry out patrols to enforce the stay-at-home rules.
Dyfed-Powys police said there had been reports of an increase in traffic in Montgomeryshire and checks would be carried out throughout the weekend.
In Gwent, officers described it is “unacceptable” that people drove nearly 12 miles from Newport to the blue lagoon at Pantygasseg.
Police in Swansea also questioned whether it was necessary to queue up to enter the B&Q store at the Morfa retail park.
Cyclists are being told they should travel no farther than a “reasonable walking distance from home”.
The legal guidance states people should not drive to exercise unless absolutely necessary but people with disabilities can exercise more than once a day.
The changes were announced by the Welsh government alongside a three-phase “traffic light” system to lift Wales out of lockdown. The first minister Mark Drakeford denied his government’s plan means Wales is moving away from an all-UK approach to ending the lockdown.
NHS England has announced a further 711 deaths in hospital of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 18,084.
Of the 711 new deaths announced today, 105 occurred on 24 April, 236 on 23 April and 66 on 22 April.
The figures also show that 235 of the new deaths took place between 1 and 21 April while the remaining 69 deaths occurred in March, with the earliest new death taking place on 11 March.
NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago. This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for postmortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated.
The figures published by NHS England show 8 April continues to have the highest number for the most hospital deaths occurring on a single day, with a current total of 855.
A total of 1,231 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, a rise of 47 from 1,184 on Friday, the Scottish government has confirmed.
The number of people who have tested positive is 10,051, up 354 from Friday’s figure of 9,697.
The figures published on the government’s website confirmed 1,748 patients were in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, a rise of 38 from 1,710 the previous day, 140 of whom were in intensive care, down one.
A further 23 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total to 774, health officials said.
Public Health Wales said following data cleaning, 22 previously reported deaths which did not have a positive test result have been removed.
A further 299 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 8,900.
Dr Chris Williams of Public Health Wales, said:
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has urged the government to advise the public to wear “non-medical face coverings” in environments where it is difficult to maintain a safe distance from others.
The former Brexit secretary David Davis has said no political appointee should attend Sage meetings to ensure there are no outside influence on the formulation of scientific advice.
Labour urged the government earlier this morning to bar the prime minister’s chief political adviser, Dominic Cummings, from meetings of the secret scientific group advising on the coronavirus pandemic over concerns that its independence has been compromised.
The president of the Dutch football association has cast doubt on the feasibility of the Premier League playing matches behind closed doors in June after the government suggested it might be possible for some sports to resume within a few weeks.
Just Spee’s intervention comes after the Dutch Eredivisie became the first major European football league to cancel its season in response to the coronavirus crisis. For the first time since 1944-45, the Dutch top flight will not have a champion and there will be no relegation or promotion either from the 18-team division. He said:
The public has been told to stay at home as forecasters predict warm and sunny weather across most of the country for the UK’s fifth weekend under lockdown.
The long spell of high temperatures is prompting concerns that people may defy lockdown rules, which came into force on 23 March.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, urged people on Friday to continue to adhere to the restrictions despite some encouraging signs that the coronavirus crisis is beginning to ease.