Wednesday, April 1, 2020

COVID-19: UK deaths rise to 2,352 amid rush to test medics


A further 563 patients with coronavirus have died in the UK, taking the total number of deaths in hospitals to 2,352.
The Department of Health said 29,474 people have tested positive for the virus, up 4,324 since Tuesday.
Following criticism, the government said it hopes to increase daily tests for frontline workers from thousands to hundreds of thousands within weeks.
A doctor who came out of retirement to volunteer for the NHS became the fourth UK medic to die with the virus.
Dr Alfa Sa'adu had been volunteering at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn when he contracted the virus, which causes the disease coronavirus.
His son Dani Saadu posted online that his dad had died after "fighting the virus for two weeks.
"The NHS were amazing and did everything they could," he said.
"My dad was a living legend, worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years saving people's lives here and in Africa.

'Up tick' in car journeys

Dr Yvonne Doyle, PHE medical director, told a daily coronavirus briefing in Downing Street that the UK was not in "as severe" a position as Spain, the US or Italy, but added there was "no reason to be complacent.
She said while the spread of coronavirus was most advanced in London, the Midlands region - where more than 3,500 people have tested positive for the virus - was "obviously a concern" too.
Dr Doyle added while use of public transport had gone down since the government enforced social distancing measures, there had been an "up-tick" in motor transport. She urged members of the public to stay home to "protect the NHS".

'Hundreds of thousands' of tests promised

The government has been under pressure to increase the screening of medics, so that those who are self-isolating unnecessarily can return to work.
More than 3,500 NHS frontline staff in England and Wales have been tested for the virus since the outbreak began but cabinet minister Michael Gove said a shortage of chemicals needed for the tests meant the NHS - which employs 1.2m in England - could not screen all its staff for the virus.
Dr Doyle said there was currently capacity for about 3,000 tests a day for frontline NHS staff, which will increase.
She said the "intention" was for testing for frontline staff to increase from "thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks".
No 10 said test capacity would increase with an additional network of labs and testing sites.
The PM's official spokesman said the government was "working with NHS England, Public Health England and others to ensure that happens".
The latest increase in the number of people who have died relates to the 24 hours up to 17:00 BST on Tuesday.



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