The UK has become the second country to officially record more than 40,000 coronavirus-related deaths, as more than 100 scientists wrote to the British Government to urge it to reconsider lifting virus lockdown restrictions.
The Government said on Friday another 357 people who had tested positive for the virus had died in the UK across all settings, including hospitals and care homes.
That took the UK’s total to 40,261, the world’s second-highest pandemic death toll behind the United States.
The UK’s actual COVID-19 death toll is widely considered to be higher, as the total only includes those who have tested positive for the virus.
In an open letter, the scientists urged the Government to postpone further easing of the lockdown given the still-high level of daily virus-related deaths and new infections.
“Despite a two-month lockdown, we are still experiencing unacceptable daily numbers of deaths, still in the hundreds, and an estimated 8,000 new infections a day in England alone,” the scientists wrote.
