Quarantined Boris Johnson bemoans ‘sad day’ after record 563 coronavirus deaths as he pledges ‘massive’ rise in testing

BORIS Johnson has spoken of the UK's "sad, sad day" after its biggest daily death toll of the coronavirus crisis - as he promises to ramp up testing.

The PM released a video of himself self-isolating this evening revealing 397 million extra pieces of protection kit had been shipped in for "amazing" NHS staff.

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It comes as the UK coronavirus death rate shot up by another 50 per cent today - after 563 people died in a single day.

The total number of patients who have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus has gone up from 1,789 to 2,352.

Mr Johnson said: "Let's be in no doubt this has been a sad, sad day, 563 more cases, a record in a single day.

"Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims and all their friends.

"But let's be in no doubt, that if we can follow the programme that we're currently set upon, if we can comply with the measures that we've embarked on together then I have absolutely no doubt that we will begin to start to push those numbers down, and we will turn the tide of the coronavirus in the next few weeks and months."

"We've shipped just in the last couple of weeks 597 million pieces of personal protective equipment to look after our amazing NHS staff.

"The Army reservists and others are doing a quite amazing job of shipping that stuff around the country."

UK TOLL RISES

His message comes as the government faced criticism after it was revealed just 2,000 NHS staff - out of 550,000 - have been tested for coronavirus.

The NHS are at the frontline of the battle against the bug, with the number of patients testing positive rising from 25,150 to 29,474 as the pandemic spreads.

In England today, there were a further 486 deaths - bringing the total number of people who have died in hospital to 2,137.

NHS England confirmed the patients were aged between 13 and 99 - with 20 victims having no underlying medical conditions.

Yesterday, the death rate had already doubled on the day before, as 381 more patients died.

And the Department of Health today confirmed another 563 had died - meaning the rate has increased by another 50 per cent.

The worrying trend suggests the spike in deaths is getting steeper.

The PM said: "We're also massively increasing testing, and I want to say a special word about testing because it is so important, as I have said for weeks and weeks this is the way through, this is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle, this is how we will defeat it in the end.

"What we need to do is massively ramp up not just tests so that you can know whether you've had the disease in the past... Second people need to know whether they haven't got it, people isolating at homes for no reason, that's very important for our NHS staff."

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Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England (PHE), told the Number 10 daily press briefing that 10,000 tests per day were now being carried out and the aim was to get to 25,000 tests by mid-April.

PHE has also come under fire over wider testing of members of the public with Covid-19.

It has said repeatedly that most adults who develop symptoms will fully recover and do not need to be tested.

However, many scientists disagree and say it is only through widespread community testing that the UK will be able to track the virus and emerge from lockdown.

Prof Doyle said: "In terms of mass testing, the testing strategy is to increase the amount of testing done not just in healthcare workers but in the population.

"The rate-limiting step there is not us, it is really whether the tests are valid and then to get that out and about, and aided by technology.

"I think that will change as the phases of this epidemic change. We will perhaps use different techniques."

TRAGIC DEATH

It comes as a 13-year-old boy became the UK's youngest coronavirus victim after dying from the disease at King's College Hospital in London on Monday.

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, from Brixton, South West London, had no underlying health conditions.

Tragically, his mum and six siblings were not able to be by his side in his final moments because of the contagiousness of the killer virus.

A spokesperson told The Sun Online today how the "very healthy" teenager had first fallen ill on March 23 with

Three days later, Ismail's condition worsened and he was rushed to hospital where medics put him on a ventilator.

Today's figures from the Department of Health only include those who have died in hospital after testing positive for the disease, so the true death toll is actually higher.

From the start of the crisis until March 20, at least 40 more people died from coronavirus in England and Wales than previously thought after hidden deaths at home were revealed for the first time.

Today a furious courier today begged Brits to stop ordering clothes and “tat” online during the coronavirus lockdown.

The self-employed delivery driver, 40, shared an image of a pile of 120 packages she was required to take to a single housing estate in Bury, Greater Manchester.

The decision to order non-essential items has sparked a debate online with people arguing the online delivery business is keeping the economy going with no rule against online shopping.