COVID-19 death toll exceeds 7,000 in UK, 60,733 cases confirmed
The death toll of these hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reached 7,097 by Tuesday afternoon, an archive daily increase of 938 because the outbreak began, the Department of Health insurance and Social Care said Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, the quantity of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Britain hit 60,733, up 5,492 during the past a day, said the department.
During Wednesday's Downing Street daily press briefing, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's condition is bettering and remains in intensive care.
"He has been sitting up during intercourse and engaging positively with the clinical team," said Sunak.
Johnson was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London with "persistent symptoms" on Sunday night, 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19. He was moved into intensive care on Monday night after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.
The prime minister is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without assistance, a Downing Street spokesperson said earlier Wednesday.
During the press briefing, Professor Angela McLean, deputy chief scientific adviser, said that the quantity of new COVID-19 cases isn't accelerating uncontrollable in Britain.
Only a slight upsurge in patients in critical care was witnessed in the last a day, according to McLean.
Meanwhile, Sunak acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic could have a "significant impact" on the British economy, revealing that there will be a crisis COBRA meeting on Thursday to discuss "the approach" to reviewing lockdown measures.
"I have already been very honest that this will have a significant impact on our economy," he said, adding that the federal government had set up "a massive amount of support to greatly help as many persons as possible to get through this."
In a bid to curb the pandemic, the British government has ordered a ban on public gatherings of more than two people and the closure of shops selling non-essential goods through the lockdown.
Among other measures, the federal government has launched schemes with an increase of than 330 billion pounds (409.3 billion dollars) of loans and guarantees to greatly help companies keep operating amid the pandemic, promising to cover 80 percent of wages -- up to 2,500 pounds (3101 dollars) per month -- for employees who cannot work through the pandemic.
