UK SUFFERS HIGHEST 1-DAY COVID-19 DEATH TOLL SINCE START OF PANDEMIC

Tue 19 January 2021:

The UK on Tuesday suffered its highest number of deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with a further 1,610 deaths, according to official data.

There were also a further 33,355 confirmed cases across the UK over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to nearly 3.47 million and total number of deaths to 91,470.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Office for National Statistics said that at least one in eight people in England alone had COVID-19 as of last December, or some 5.4 million people.

To the north, in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon extended the national lockdown there to at least mid-February.

Schools that were meant to open at the start of next month will now stay shut until the national lockdown is lifted.

Sturgeon said: “Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.”

-AA