in the seventh week of the lockdown the
United Kingdom has now recorded Europe's
highest number of deaths linked to
coronavirus we have overtaken Italy that
was the first country in the world to
instigate a national lockdown to control
the pandemic Dominic robbed the first
secretary of state said the latest
figures portrayed a massive tragedy but
he warned against making comparisons
with other countries until much more
information was available on all causes
of death now today's figures show there
were 693 deaths linked to the virus
recorded in a 24-hour period in the UK
that's in hospitals care homes and in
the community that brings the total
number of deaths formerly linked to the
virus to 29,000 427 which is second only
to the USA worldwide now experts say
there are several key factors to be
considered when making comparisons
including population size different
testing regimes and geographical spread
as our science editor David Chapman
explains now every so often there are
grim national milestones this time as
the UK's death toll rises above that of
Italy making it second only to the
United States and with every figure a
story of loss and grief the virus never
loses the power to shock killing three
members of one family within days of
each other first Keith Donington a nurse
from South Shields then a week later his
father Morris and his mother Lillian
leaving the family stunned I'm still in
disbelief a little bit
he's Keith's children now
absolutely devastated and then lose the
nanny and granddad they they really
devastated my children our boss
absolutely heart brought in today's
government briefing the latest graph
shows how the death tolls are rising in
different countries the official numbers
confirmed that Italy has lost twenty
nine thousand three hundred and fifteen
people and the UK now slightly more a
twenty nine thousand four hundred and
twenty seven if it does turn out that we
are the country that's hardest hit in
Europe what's your reaction to that
there are different ways of counting
deaths as we know we've had that debate
in this country we now publish data that
includes all deaths in all settings and
not all countries do that so I'm not
sure that the International comparison
works unless you're can reliably know
that all countries are measuring in the
same way and it also depends on how good
frankly countries are in gathering their
statistics and our own Office of
National Statistics is widely
acknowledged to be a world leader there
are important differences between the
two countries the UK has more people
than Italy and London is far bigger than
any Italian city on the other hand the
population of Italy is older and more
generations live together which
increases the risk to grandparents it's
a complicated picture they're still
evolving everybody knows that making
international comparisons in such
statistics can be difficult and it may
be that that will take some time to to
sort out and this isn't over yet but all
this raises questions about the UK's
handling of the outbreak the NHS has
avoided being overwhelmed a real success
unlike in northern Italy but it emerged
today that fewer than 300 people were
put into quarantine earlier this year at
a time when 18 million arrived without
any kind of screening and testing for
the virus got off to a slower start than
in other countries and that's now been
officially acknowledged in the early
phases and I've said this before I think
if we manage to ramp testing capacity
quicker it would have be beneficial and
you know for all sorts of reasons that
didn't happen and I think it's clear you
need lots of testing for this the
numbers dying every day are now falling
the lockdown is working but this comes
as tens of thousands of people across
the UK are now grieving David Chapman
BBC News well the impact of the pandemic
on some of the most vulnerable people in
society is becoming increasingly clear
the latest figures from the Office for
National Statistics shows the deaths
related to coronavirus in care homes in
England and Wales increased by more than
a third in the week ending the 24th of
April that week there were two thousand
seven hundred and ninety-four registered
deaths in care homes linked to
coronavirus that means a total of nearly
six thousand care home deaths up to
April the 24th our social affairs
correspondent Allison Holt has the
latest on the care sector and the
intense pressure it's under tonight at
Glen Abbey Manor care home in County
Antrim it was confirmed that 14
residents have now passed away after
testing positive for or showing signs of
coronavirus each death an individual
tragedy the personal loss that lies
behind the weekly official numbers and a
distressing marker of how the virus
continues to reach into residential and
nursing homes across the UK got to the
care home it was surreal
as a Liverpool care home Joe Brown only
managed to see his mother Bertha from
outside after she tested positive for
kovat 19 she died a few days later he
doesn't understand why the virus wasn't
mentioned on her death certificate but
those are questions for another day mum
not three meters away behind the glass
and the current workers again was we're
trying to get her to look at the window
to see us you know and at one point she
lifted her hand a few
but I couldn't do anything you know I
like to think I'll be quite a strong
person myself all my life don't totally
help us more than 1/3 of deaths in care
homes in England Scotland and Wales were
registered as linked to covert 19 in the
week up to April the 24th but overall
the number of deaths in UK homes from
all causes is higher than usual
particularly so in England and Wales
almost four times more deaths than we
would expect to see at this time of year
were registered in that last week about
two hundred and eighty percent more
deaths registered in care homes above
that five-year average and that number
is going up and 35 percent of those
mentioned kogatana destined fit once
again these official figures paint a
distressing picture of the impact that
coronavirus is having on care homes
I understand within days the government
will set out a plan of intensive support
for care homes in particular including
additional backup from councils and
health services with care providers
still having trouble with protective
equipment and testing many see more
supporters overdue but vital we need
more help from the government on testing
on PPE and financial support and I think
we need more help so we can reduce the
deaths in care homes going forward we
need to be at the centre not on the
periphery for weeks care staff has said
they felt largely on their own as they
tried to protect residents the test of
more coordinated support will be whether
that changes Allison Holt BBC news with
me in the studio is our health editor
Hugh PEM who can we talk a little more
about this rather thorny issue of making
comparisons between the UK and other
countries what is your reading of the
differences here
well here at certainly a somber moment
with a death toll nearly at 30,000 and
ahead of other European countries but of
course there are these caveats London is
three times bigger than Italy's biggest
city and like New York is an environment
where the virus might spread quickly the
UK has got a bigger population than
Italy and of course there are some
issues around into
comparisons and the points often made
the NHS has coped remarkably well in the
circumstances it hasn't been overwhelmed
despite predictions one chart stood out
it's the one showing Italy 15 days ahead
of the UK in this epidemic Italy was one
of the first countries to be hit hard
and yet the UK now has a higher death
toll and it comes on a day with more
scrutiny of the government by MPs are
the Health Select Committee with
officials and then in the Commons health
questions with health ministers
questions being asked respectfully I
think MPs from all parties know the
government had a very very difficult job
here in unprecedented circumstances but
questions being asked about what's the
lockdown imposed too late shouldn't
testing have started a lot sooner we
heard from Sir Patrick valence the chief
scientific adviser there that he thinks
it could have been developed more
rapidly and not stalled for a month or
so as it was so I think these questions
can only continue from here q thanks
very much again you pay my health editor