[ad_1]
The number of people who have died from coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 50,000, according to government figures highlighting the devastating impact of the virus on the country.
Another 595 deaths were announced Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to 50,365.
It marks a significant moment in the pandemic for the United Kingdom, which has been one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19 with the highest number of deaths recorded in Europe.
Live coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Since the first cases were confirmed in the UK in late January after the outbreak in China began, tens of thousands of British families have faced the pain of losing loved ones to the disease, and the country has endured months of restrictions in our daily lives.
The government has also faced criticism for its handling of the crisis, with nursing homes devastated by virus and questions about whether the country entered a lockdown too late in March.
Tragic stories of coronavirus deaths in the UK have included the oldest known victim, Hilda Churchill, 108, who had survived the Spanish flu pandemic, and the youngest victim; a 13 day old baby.
The United Kingdom first death from coronavirus It is believed to have happened on January 30 when Peter Attwood, 84, of Chatham in Kent, died in hospital.
He was initially believed to have died of heart failure and pneumonia before a coroner confirmed Attwood had coronavirus in his lung tissue and listed the cause of death as COVID-19.
Peter Attwood is believed to be the UK’s first coronavirus death in January
After a national lockdown was introduced in March, the country saw the heartbreaking reality of coronavirus restrictions at the funeral of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab.
The young man, from Brixton, south London, died alone in hospital after contracting COVID-19. His family could not be there to bury him in April as they were forced to isolate themselves after two of his brothers started showing symptoms.
The family of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab was unable to attend his funeral
That same month a nurse who was pregnant died of the virus – but her baby was born successfully.
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, was admitted to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital on April 7, where she was working and died five days later.
Nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong died after contracting COVID-19
Chris Cadby was struck by a double tragedy after his wife Julianne died of coronavirus just four days after the death of her mother Joan was linked to the disease.
After his death, he revealed that his seven-year-old son Evan asked him, “Who will be the next dad? Will it be you or will it be me?”
Julianne Cadby and her mother Joan Bartlett died just four days apart
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Connor Reed was the first known Briton to contract coronavirus last December after working at a school in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated.
After recovering from the virus, the 26-year-old died last month at Bangor University.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
After the death toll from coronavirus passed 50,000, Boris Johnson said that “every death is a tragedy” and “we mourn all who have left.”
“It is a global pandemic whose effects, whose treatments, whose implications for the economy, all of these have become increasingly clear over the months,” added the prime minister.
Another 22,950 coronavirus cases were also announced on Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 1,256,725.
Despite the latest government death figures, in reality the UK probably passed the 50,000 death mark a while ago.
The government data includes people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.
But separate figures released by UK statistical agencies, including deaths when COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, show that there have now been 65,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK.
It comes after the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said in March that keeping the UK death toll below 20,000 would be a “good result” of the pandemic.
With coronavirus deaths on the rise in the UK, the government hopes a vaccine could start rolling out in December after one was being developed. turned out to be 90% effective to prevent people from getting the virus.
