UK coronavirus death toll rises by 449 to 16,509

20 April 2020, 16:29

The UK has entered its fifth week of lockdown
The UK has entered its fifth week of lockdown. Picture: Getty

By Maddie Goodfellow

A further 449 people have died in the UK from coronavirus, officials announced today.

This brings the total UK death toll to 16,509 as of 5pm on Sunday, the Department of Health said.

It is an increase of 449 from 16,060 the day before.

The Department of Health also said that, as of 9am on Monday, a total of 386,044 people have been tested of which 124,743 tested positive.

NHS England announced another 449 deaths in hospitals in England, taking the country's total to 14,829.

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The government said it is still on course for 100,000 tests per day
The government said it is still on course for 100,000 tests per day. Picture: Getty

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Public Health Wales said 9 more deaths of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 have been reported, taking the number of deaths in Wales to 584.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said 12 more people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Scotland, bringing the total deaths there to 915.

Ms Sturgeon said 8,450 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 263 from 8,187 the day before.

Northern Ireland has recorded 13 new deaths, bringing the total to 207.

It comes as some 21,626 people in England, Wales and Scotland were tested for coronavirus in the 24 hours up to 9am on Sunday, Downing Street said.

Testing capacity dipped to 36,000 - from 38,000 last week - over the same 24-hour period, but the PM's official spokesman said this was due to commercial laboratories implementing new processes.

"That's not a permanent dip," the spokesman said.

More than 88,000 NHS and social care staff and their relatives have now been tested.

The spokesman added that the Government believes it is "on course" to meet the target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month.