UK coronavirus hospital death toll rises to over 18,700

Increase of 616 in 24 hours

More than 18,700 patients have died in hospital in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, the Department of Health has announced – an increase of 616 in the last 24 hours.

The government’s latest updates said 4,583 people had contracted the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 138,078.

Overall, 583,496 tests have concluded, with 23,560 tests on Wednesday.

“The reduction in deaths and drop in the pressure upon hospitals are a welcome respite,” said Professor Jim Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford.

“As deaths continue fall, we need to remember this is only the first round. When all the deaths are counted, this first wave of Covid-19 will have brought tragedy to families across the UK. We owe it to those families to learn the right lessons from this awful experience and do better.”

It comes as the government’s deputy chief medical officer said the continuing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) are a “personal frustration”.

Jenny Harries said a constant review of PPE supplies and management was required to ensure demand was met across the country.

“It is so important our frontline staff have the right PPE,” she told ITV.

“One of my personal slight frustrations is there is a lot of information out there which we can perhaps use to support them better.

“Different parts of the country will be experiencing different risks, different levels of disease at different times, and it is so important that our health, and particularly our social care staff as well, have the right kit.”

She made the remarks as frontline workers, including pharmacists, continued to voice concerns about becoming infected at work through a lack of protection and difficulties maintaining social distancing.

According to a survey by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), over a third (34%) of respondents were still unable to access continuous supplies of PPE and almost 95% said they could not maintain the recommended two-metre distance from colleagues due to the size of their workplace.

Some pharmacists say they have been forced to pay for PPE personally.

Reports by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) suggest that of the much-anticipated shipment of 400,000 medical gowns arriving from Turkey, only 32,000 have been delivered.

Meanwhile, a new study suggested death rates from Covid-19 could be between 50 and 80 per cent higher in rural communities.

The University of St Andrews analysis predicted significant differences in the level of fatalities depending on geographical location, due to ageing populations. It found death rates could be up to 80 per cent higher in rural communities if the outbreak reaches them.

The study looked at the contribution of population age structure to mortality from Covid-19 in the UK by geography.

Its analysis projected death rates by applying data on age-specific fatality rates to the area’s population by age and sex.

High-risk and vulnerable communities are concentrated in large areas of south-west England, coastal communities of east and south-east England, north Wales, northern England, southern Scotland and the north-west Highlands.