Tuesday 13 October 2020

Britain records more than 100 Covid-19 deaths for the first time in FOUR MONTHS




 Britain today recorded more than 100 coronavirus deaths for the first time in four months as officials announced 143 more victims.

Department of Health statistics show the grim milestone hadn't been hit since June 17, when 110 lab-confirmed fatalities were added to the tally. For comparison, 76 deaths were registered last Tuesday as well as 50 yesterday — but counts on Mondays can be affected by a recording lag at weekends.

Separate data today revealed the number of deaths from Covid-19 in England and Wales has risen for the fourth week in a row, with the disease mentioned on 321 death certificates in the week ending October 2. But the same data, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows only one person under the age of 30 has died since August.

 Health chiefs today also posted another 17,234 cases, up 18.5 per cent on the figure recorded last Tuesday (14,542). Only 13,972 more positive tests were added to the tally yesterday. 

It comes as a senior minister today admitted national rules will 'probably' have to get tougher after it was revealed Boris Johnson is at war with SAGE over demands for a 'circuit-breaker' lockdown for the whole of the UK.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick conceded the government is poised to 'go further' after the PM unveiled his new 'Three Tier' system of local restrictions last night — but only put Merseyside in the harshest category that will see pubs and bars shut.

Mr Jenrick pointed to high rates of infection in areas such as Greater Manchester and Nottingham, appealing for local leaders to agree terms to move up from Tier Two. But he dismissed claims that the government was not being 'robust' enough, after bombshell documents slipped out late last night showed its own scientific advisers wanted much more dramatic action. 

The extraordinary spat emerged as Mr Johnson gathered his Cabinet for talks on the crisis, with infections threatening to spiral out of control again. Mr Johnson defiantly insisted at a No10 press conference last night that he had no intention of imposing a UK-wide squeeze that would 'shatter' the economy.

But within hours the minutes of a SAGE meeting from September 21 were released, showing that is exactly what the key group was suggesting. The timing of the dump by the government — which was out of line with the usual Friday publication schedule — sparked speculation that ministers were trying to bury the news. 

In other developments to Britain's Covid-19 outbreak today: 

  • Boris Johnson faced a growing Tory backlash against his three-tier coronavirus approach as he  was accused of ignoring local government on the imposition of the new system and firing off 'a constant blizzard of arbitrary rules';
  • Nicola Sturgeon trolled the Prime Minister over his extraordinary spat with SAGE, boasting that her 'circuit breaker' lockdown is 'rooted in scientific advice';
  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan today warned it is 'inevitable' that London will be plunged into a Tier Two lockdown this week as he admits he wants every borough to face the same coronavirus restrictions;
  • The number of UK redundancies has risen at its fastest rate since the 2008 financial crisis, as unemployment surges to 1.5million amid fears millions more will be on the dole queue by Christmas;
  • Doctors will finally trial whether vitamin D can actually protect people from Covid-19 amid mounting evidence the 3p-a-day supplement could be a life-saver.




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