Coronavirus: UK rise fuels fears of a new wave of deaths

Boris Johnson rule out major changes to the lockdown after the country’s re­adjusted death rate from COVID-­19 put it into the world’s top three nations for fatalities.

NHS workers in take a patient with an unknown condition to an ambulance at Queens Hospital in London. Picture: Getty

A worried Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell the British people there will be no major changes to the novel coronavirus pandemic lockdown after the country’s re­adjusted death rate from COVID-­19 put it into the world’s top three nations for fatalities.

Mr Johnson was to announce the smallest of changes to the lockdown measures earlier on Friday.

Despite the near-lethal econo­mic shock Britain is suffering and repercussions of deaths from non-coronavirus cases as the country veers between high anxiety and fierce anger, Mr Johnson believes there can be no let-up.

People are only allowed out for essential work or exercise near their home but the strict social isolation measures haven’t prevented COVID-19 spreading through aged-care homes.

On Thursday AEDT, the governm­ent finally released backdated coronavirus deaths from aged-care homes and added 3811 to the tally of the 22,286 people who have died in hospital. The revised­ total death tally is 26,097.

In 24 hours, 600 people died in hospital including an otherwise healthy 14-year-old boy, and 165 people in aged-care homes.

The figures show Spain and Belgium are the only two countries with a worse per-head death rate than Britain.

On death toll figures, Britain has leapfrogged over its European neighbours Spain and France, with only Italy just ahead, although there are some differences in how some nations record deaths attributed to coronavirus. The US has the world’s highest death toll, more than 61,000 deaths.

The British cabinet has been keeping an eye on the easing of lockdown measures in Germany, Italy and Spain, and wants to avoids a second peak in coronavirus cases.

The British government has come under attack for not adequately shielding nursing homes, but Health Secretary Matt Hancockhas insisted those in aged care should be able to have the comfort of a visit from a relative.

However, it appears the number­ of aged-care home deaths, backdated from several weeks ago, could be vastly under-reported, with only confirmed cases where people tested positive for coronavirus included in the tally.

In many cases it is difficult for doctors to ascertain if elderly care home patients have died of corona­virus or with it.

The Office for National Statis­tics believes the number of deaths, double what is normal for this time of the year, includes a number of undetected COVID -19 deaths, either directly from the virus and not being tested, or indirectly ­because of heart attack victims not being hospitalised in time. Its figures suggest as many as 40,000 could have died because of the virus.

Data in Scotland shows hospital deaths account for just 52 per cent of fatalities, with 39 per cent happening in aged-care homes and 9 per cent at home or elsewhere.

Foreign Secretary and First Minister Dominic Raab said the lockdown measures would remain and suggested that the government was closely monitoring easing of measures on the Continent. He said on Wednesday night: “This issue of a second spike and the need to avoid it — it’s not a theoretical risk, and it is not confined­ to the UK.”

Having relaxed restrictions in Germany, authorities there have seen a rise in the transmission rate. Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear there may need to be a second lockdown in Germany if the infection rate continued to rise.

Mr Raab said that 50,000 Britons in Australia had been repatriated to the UK.

The National Health Service has written to all hospital trusts requesting they assess the risks that staff from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds face on the frontline and be given roles to reduce their exposure to the coronavirus, after research showed they faced increased risk of infection.

UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab in the House of Commons. Picture: AFP