UK COVID-19 deaths rise to 12,868

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – British health authorities announced on Wednesday that the U.K.-wide death toll from coronavirus rose 761 in the last 24 hours.

The Department of Health reported: “313,769 people have been tested of which 98,476 tested positive.

“As of 5pm on 14 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 12,868 have sadly died.”

The latest figures come as elder care home operators said on Wednesday that coronavirus is in over half of care homes and that the death rate there is much higher than reported in government figures.

The daily government figures only include deaths inside hospitals, and there are now calls for a daily death toll inside elder care homes. Around 620 deaths have taken place there in recent weeks, according to care home operators, but government figures only put the toll at 237 over the past two weeks.

The elder care home operators also expressed concern over a lack of personal protective equipment and discharged coronavirus patients being sent back to care homes despite them being filled with the most at-risk groups.

Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer also called on Wednesday for the government to publish its strategy for exiting the lockdown.

He said he did not want to score political points, but that people are “anxious” to know the “principles and approach” the government would take to exit the lockdown. He suggested the compulsory wearing of face masks, like in France, could have some role to play.

Starmer emphasized the reopening of schools, telling local media: “The longer the schools are closed, the bigger the gap between children who are getting pretty good homeschooling and those that aren’t.”

He also stressed getting people back to work to help stem the virus’ economic damage.

Starmer added: “I’m not as confident as I would like to be. We are supposed to be at 100,000 tests in two weeks’ time. I haven’t heard a good answer about why we are behind the curve still.”

He said peopled need to see “hope and light at the end of the tunnel.”

Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions.

The data shows over 2 million people have been infected globally, while the death toll has topped 128,000.