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Half of NHS trusts in England record NO coronavirus deaths in past week figures reveal as 25 more die in UK in 24 hours
HALF of NHS trusts in England reported no coronavirus deaths in the last week, according to new figures.
Twenty-five more people died from Covid-19 today as the UK's death toll increased to 43,575 in one of the smallest daily rises since March 17.
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The rise is one of the smallest recorded in the UK since March 17, when 16 deaths were announced.
From a sample of 131 A&E departments across England, 71 recorded no coronavirus deaths in the last week, according to the University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.
It comes as...
- Leicester could see first local lockdown
- Health chiefs trace infected factory workers in North Wales
- Boris Johnson to put nation on 'coronavirus diet'
- Second wave of bug could hit UK in October
- Parents refusing to send kids back to school face fines
- Brits urged not to rush into booking their holiday
- BOJO promises 'Roosevelt' style deal to help Britain recover from bug
Meanwhile, 84 per cent of trusts reported no new deaths in the last 48 hours, an increase from 50 per cent at the beginning of June.
England recorded 19 more hospital deaths today - the country's smallest rise recorded on a Monday since lockdown began.
It is also considerably smaller than any rise recorded in England throughout April, May and nearly the whole of June - beaten only by yesterday's jump (18).
All patients were aged over 60 and all had underlying health conditions.
Scotland recorded no new deaths for the fourth day in a row.
It means the overall death toll from the bug in Scotland remains at 2,482.
In Wales, three more deaths were logged, bringing the total death toll in Wales to 1,507.
Northern Ireland confirmed one more death today, bringing the overall tally there to 551.
LOCKDOWN EASES
It comes as the UK eases itself out of lockdown, with pubs and restaurants set to re-open in England this weekend.
Locals in Leicester, however, will have to wait longer for their pint, as a fresh spike in cases means pubs will remain shut there for two weeks longer than the rest of the UK.
A similar surge has occurred in North Wales, where Public Health chiefs are urgently tracing hundreds of infected workers at a major food processing site.
A total of 166 cases of the bug have been confirmed at Rowan Foods in Wrexham - and officials are now searching for 300 other members of staff.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has promised a new 'Roosevelt' style deal to pull Britain out of the crisis, with a huge plan for investment.
The PM insisted today he wants the country to "bounce forward" with a brave new plan for the country, just like the ex-US President did in the 1930s after the Great Depression.
He is set to deliver a major speech in Dudley tomorrow outlining his bold new vision to get Britain back on track.
BACK TO SCHOOL
At the heart of the plan will be a massive school rebuilding programme, which will see No 10 plough billions into overhauling classrooms up and down the country.
Kids across the UK are expected to return to school in September, with the Government even warning parents they will face fines if they refuse to oblige.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced this morning that families who refuse to send their kids back will be hit with financial sanctions unless they have a “good reason”.
He said: “It is going to be compulsory for children to return back to school unless there is a very good reason, or a local spike.
“We have to get back into compulsory education, and as part of that fines sit alongside that.
SECOND WAVE
The new school term will begin, however, just one month before a second wave of the bug is expected to hit, according to predictions made by a top scientist.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said that the UK is "on a knife edge" - meaning the next three months will be crucial to getting on top of the virus to prepare for the next spike in infections.
Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show yesterday, he said: "A true second wave will come in the winter months - October, November.
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"The problem will then be that people will struggle to tell the difference between a common cold and coronavirus."
He added: "The next three months are absolutely critical.
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“We’re on a knife edge."
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Boris Johnson admits he is concerned by Leicester outbreak as lockdown looks set to remain in the city
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