UK on track for one of Europe's worst virus death tolls

UK on track for one of Europe's worst virus death tolls

Britain is on track to record one of the worst coronavirus death tolls in Europe, after data published on Tuesday showed nationwide fatalities topped 24,000 nine days ago.

Edward Baran reports.

Britain is on track to record one of the worst coronavirus death tolls in Europe.

Data published on Tuesday showed nationwide fatalities topped 24,000 last week.

It could put the country on the same level as Spain or Italy, although the difference various countries have in reporting their casualties makes direct comparisons difficult.

It also means that week saw more deaths in the UK since comparable records began almost three decades ago.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who's taken part in a nationwide minute's silence for those who died, spoke on Monday of success in dealing with the outbreak.

The grave figures come from the UK's from the Office for National Statistics and count only up to April 19th.

But unlike the hospital death tolls announced daily by the government, the new data also includes deaths in community settings such as care homes.

Johnson warned on Monday that it was still too dangerous to relax Britain's stringent lockdown meansures for fear of a deadly second outbreak.