UK coronavirus death toll rises to 28,446 with another 315 deaths recorded

3 May 2020, 16:44

Sunday's coronavirus death total has been announced. Picture: PA

By Maddie Goodfellow

A further 315 people have died in the UK from coronavirus, in another day where this number has fallen.

This brings the total UK death toll to 28,446 as of 5pm on Saturday, the Department of Health said.

Speaking at the daily street press conference, Micheal Gove said 76,496 had been tested in the past 24 hours, the second day in a row where the government have dipped below their target of 100,00 tests a day.

A total of186,599 people have tested positive, and 1,206,405 coronavirus tests have been carried out in the UK so far.

NHS England has announced 327 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 21,180.

Of the 21,180 confirmed reported deaths so far in hospitals in England of people who tested positive for Covid-19, 11,090 (52 per cent) have been people aged 80 and over while 8,238 (39 per cent) were 60-79.

A further 1,691 (8 per cent) were aged 40-59, with 150 (1 per cent) aged 20-39 and 11 (0.05 per cent) aged 0-19, according to NHS England.

Testing is continuing across the UK. Picture: PA

A further 14 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of deaths to 983, Public Health Wales has said.

Another 174 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 10,329.

A total of 1,571 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 12 since Saturday.

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced that 12,097 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, a rise of 170 from 11,927 the day before.

There have been a further five confirmed deaths of patients who tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health.

This brings total deaths in the region to 381.

The government said it had met its 100,000 testing target on Thursday. Picture: PA

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still expected to set out further details of his coronavirus plan in public later this week, following the birth of his son.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that the government had reached its target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests.

The Health Secretary revealed that 122,347 people were tested on Thursday in an “unprecedented expansion” of capacity across the UK.

But there are doubts around how the tests are being counted, with that number believed to include tests which have been sent out to key-workers but which have not yet been completed and returned.

Downing Street said Thursday's Cabinet meeting would look at the "coronavirus response in general" but is not expected to make decisions on easing lockdown measures.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said advice on the issue from the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) had not yet been received.

The current social distancing measures have to be reviewed by May 7 and ministers have said the lockdown would only be lifted if the five tests set by the Government are met.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said there had been no change in the tests, insisting they remained the same as set out by Dominic Raab earlier this month.