U.K. Reports 684 Virus Deaths, a Slight Rise After Two Day Fall
U.K. Reports 684 Virus Deaths, a Slight Rise After Two Day Fall
(Bloomberg) --
A further 684 people died of coronavirus in U.K. hospitals, the latest figures show, a slight rise day on day after a two day fall.
Some 5,386 people tested positive for the disease, higher than the five day average daily increase of 4,873, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
On April 24, 28,532 more tests were carried out for the virus, the most the country has carried out in a single day. The number is still short of target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted on Friday morning that he still expects to hit the goal of 100,000 tests a day by next week, despite widespread skepticism. Hancock said on Thursday evening he would expand access to testing for all essential workers and their families.
The U.K. has sought to rapidly expand the capacity and number of testing facilities after a slow start. However, from 10,000 tests a day at the beginning of the month, the country has rarely managed to exceed just a fifth of the target. The efforts are in contrast to Germany and South Korea, who have controlled the disease with a program of mass testing.
Initially the U.K. had a policy of testing and tracing for the disease, but abandoned the strategy on March 12 once it became clear the number of possible cases far outstretched the country’s capacity. Now, it is planning to return to that strategy, hiring 18,000 people to work in contact tracing, and developing an NHS app to trace the spread of the virus. It is seen as a way of avoiding a second peak, once the initial outbreak has been controlled.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
