As of this morning – Wednesday April 29 – the current recorded case count for COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the UK has hit 161,145 with 21,678 deaths.
The government is introducing a new system for reporting data on COVID-19 deaths in order to capture a more accurate picture of the virus’ toll.
To date, only data on deaths in England occurring in hospital settings of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been included in daily updates.
This will now change so that the daily UK count will show the total number of deaths for anyone with a positive test across all settings, including those out of hospital.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales already report out of hospital deaths.
With more data available covering a wider scope, the new figure is expected to be higher than previous counts, the government said.
“We are pleased that the government has heeded our calls on this and will publish figures on the people who have died with coronavirus outside of hospitals on a daily basis,” said Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation.
“This is so that we have a full picture of the impact of the pandemic and can ensure that no one feels their loved ones are being treated like a second-class citizen.”
WASH YOUR HANDS:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Maintain at least two metres (six feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
STAY AT HOME:
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home).
