RE: Cruise13 Jan 2021 16:38
UPDATE 1-UK reports new daily record of 1,564 COVID deaths
Wed, 13th Jan 2021 16:29Thomson Reuters
(Adds details)
LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom on Wednesday
reported 1,564 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test from
COVID-19, a record daily toll, with the number of cases also
rising slightly on the day before.
The reported number of deaths far exceeds the 1,325 recorded
on Jan. 8 and comes as Britain battles a new more highly
transmissible variant of the virus.
There were another 47,525 cases, up from 45,533 on Tuesday.
There have now been almost 85,000 deaths in Britain - the
fifth highest figure globally - and 3.2 million have tested
positive for COVID-19.
Although the death figure continues to rise, the number of
reported cases over the last week has been falling from a record
high of 68,053, also recorded on Jan. 8, suggesting lockdown
measures were beginning to take effect.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there are about
32,000 COVID patients in hospitals, about 70% more than during
the peak of the first outbreak last April, and he said the risk
of intensive care units being overwhelmed was substantial.
"(Health workers) now really are fighting very, very hard to
contain this pandemic after months and months in which they've
really been working flat out and I think the strain is
colossal," he told lawmakers.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)