UK Coronavirus Deaths Surge Past 1,000

The number of coronavirus deaths in Britain jumped by 260 in one day to pass 1,000, official data showed Saturday, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself tested positive.

The death toll was 1,019 at 5:00pm (1700 GMT) on Friday, up from 759 at the same time on Thursday, the most recent health ministry figures showed.

More than 17,000 people have also tested positive for COVID-19, including Johnson and his health minister, Matt Hancock, who are both now self-isolating with “mild” symptoms.

Britain was put on lockdown this week to try to stem the spread of the virus, with everybody in the country told to stay home wherever possible, and all non-essential shops and services shut.

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The state-run National Health Service has been frantically freeing up hospital beds, and is building a 4,000-bed field hospital in a London conference centre, which is due to open next week.

But there are still fears it cannot cope, and a senior NHS official said on Friday that hospitals in London — the epicentre of the UK outbreak — were facing a “tsunami” of patients.

Stephen Powis, medical director of the NHS in England, told the daily Downing Street news conference on Saturday that it was coping.

“We have not reached capacity. I’m also confident that capacity is expanding, particularly in London, so that we keep ahead of increased patient numbers,” he said.

However, he added that “now is not the time to be complacent”, saying it was vital that everybody followed the advice to stay at home.

“We will see over the course of the next month exactly how that will play out,” he said.