U.K. Reports 847 More Coronavirus Deaths, Down From Day Before

(Bloomberg) --

A further 847 people have died from coronavirus in U.K. hospitals, as the government said it can see early signs of the lockdown working, but the measures must continue to avoid a second peak.

Some 5,599 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Friday by the Department of Health and Social Care, up from 4,617 the day before. Ahead of today’s data, the rate of increase in U.K. cases had been broadly decelerating, while the rate of increase in deaths had continued to accelerate, according to calculations by Bloomberg.

U.K. officials disclose daily figures for deaths according to the day they are recorded, not the day they occurred, and only count those who died in a hospital.

An additional 21,328 tests were carried out on April 16, up from 18,665 the day before. The U.K. aims to carry out 100,000 tests on a daily basis by the end of April. The government, which has been criticized for its slow start to mass testing, says it now has a capacity of 35,000 tests a day.

The figures come after the U.K. extended its lockdown by at least three weeks, with officials saying they want to see sustained evidence the threat of the disease has diminished. “The worst thing we could do right now is ease up too soon and allow a second peak of the virus,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday.

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