Two further London coronavirus deaths taking total to 10
Two further coronavirus patients have died in London hospitals taking the total of UK coronavirus deaths to 10, the Department of Health said today.
An 89-year-old with underlying health conditions died at Charing Cross Hospital, while a woman in her 60s died at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.
The London deaths mean 10 UK coronavirus patients have died.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK jumped today from 456 to 590, marking the biggest daily increase.
The announcement comes after the World Health Organisation called the outbreak a pandemic yesterday
Later today, the government will announce tougher measures to delay the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair another Cobra meeting this afternoon, in which it is expected he will confirm the shift into the “containment” stage.
It is likely to mark a shift towards more draconian social distancing measures, which are likely to include advising people with mild symptoms to self-isolate.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will advise mass gatherings of 500 people or more should be cancelled from the start of next week.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said that closing schools and shutting down the Tube could make the spread of coronavirus worse.
Independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart has been leading calls for the government and Khan to be more aggressive in their response against Covid-19.
In particular, he has called for schools to be shut down, public gatherings to be cancelled and for Khan to consider limiting public transport.
However, the mayor of London said today that these sort of drastic measures could “inadvertently make matters worse”.