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Britain recorded more than 20,000 Covid-19 cases in one day for the first time since mass testing began in the country, yet “computer problems” are to blame for such a high number, British Prime Minister Boris admitted. Johnson.
On Sunday, 22,961 new coronavirus infections were recorded in Britain, by far the highest daily total since the outbreak began, although the figure includes a backlog of previously unreported cases.
Victoria Jones / AP
The British prime minister has defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but warned that the country faces a “bumpy” winter ahead.
According to Public Health England, some daily figures between September 25 and October 2 were not accurately recorded and were instead added to the weekend day totals.
This led to 22,961 cases being published on Sunday, down from 12,872 on Saturday.
The error caused 15,841 test results to not be transmitted to the data panels used for contact tracing, PHE said.
“The NHS Test and Trace and PHE have worked to quickly resolve the issue and have transferred all pending cases immediately to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system,” said Michael Brodie, Acting Executive Director of PHE.
“We fully understand the concern this may cause, and more robust measures have been put in place as a result.”
Johnson told the BBC Andrew Marr Show that the problem was “a fault in the counting system that has now been rectified.”
He added that it was a “computer problem” and everyone with a positive test had been notified.
Johnson defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic despite weeks of rising infections, but warned that the country faces a “bumpy” winter ahead.
Britain has the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, at more than 42,400, and Johnson’s conservative government is facing criticism from everywhere. Opponents say stricter social restrictions are needed to suppress a second wave of COVID-19 that is already sweeping the country. But many in Johnson’s center-right party argue that restrictions must be eased to save the ailing economy.
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Johnson told the BBC that the government had to strike a difficult balance and could not “take a course that could expose us to tens of thousands more deaths in a very short time.”
“It is a moral imperative to save lives… but on the other hand, we have to keep our economy moving. That is the balance we are trying to achieve, ”he said.
Britain entered a national lockdown in March, with most businesses closed and all less essential travel banned. The restrictions began to be lifted in June when the pandemic tide receded. But like other European countries, daily new coronavirus infections began to rise again as pubs and restaurants reopened, children went back to school, and students went back to college.
Victoria Jones / AP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at BBC Broadcasting House to appear on the Andrew Marr show in London.
The UK now has national restrictions on socializing, including a 10pm curfew for bars and restaurants, and groups limited to six, with high-infection areas facing stricter local measures, which Johnson and other ministers have at times have. had trouble explaining clearly. Critics say months of mixed messages and shifting advice on everything from wearing masks to working or not working from home have left people confused and exhausted.
A national test and trace program to find people who have been exposed to the virus has also had persistent problems, failing to reach more than a quarter of the contacts of infected people.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, accused the government of “serial incompetence”.
“The prime minister is ruling in hindsight,” Starmer told the Observer newspaper. “So you charge forward, not acknowledging the problem, get in a car accident, look in your rearview mirror and say, ‘What’s that all about?
The number of hospitalizations and deaths in Britain is also on the rise, but remains well below the UK spring peak. Another 49 deaths from Covid-19 were reported on Saturday, compared to nearly 1,000 per day at the height of the outbreak.
Johnson acknowledged that many people feel “fatigued” after months of restrictions and expressed hope that progress in vaccines and testing will “change the scientific equation” in the coming months, allowing a return to normalcy.
But he warned that “it will continue to have potholes until Christmas. There may even be potholes beyond. “
– AP, additional reports from Stuff
