London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

UK suffers worst day for Covid deaths since April as 744 die with virus

UK suffers worst day for Covid deaths since April as 744 die with virus

Another 744 people have died with Covid-19 in the highest daily toll since the UK’s peak of the virus in April.

The UK also confirmed another daily record of cases with 39,237 people testing positive for the virus over the last 24 hours, according to the latest data by the Department of Health.

This breaks Tuesday’s record number of 36,804 positive tests. Since the start of the pandemic, 2,149,551 have returned positive results.

Today, the UK recorded the highest number of fatalities in a 24-hour period since April 29, bringing the overall death toll to 69,051.

However, the latter figure increases to 79,349 when taking into account all fatalities that had Covid-19 recorded on a death certificate.

The latest data comes after the health secretary announced several more areas in England will be plunged into tier four measures from Boxing Day.


The UK recorded another record of daily cases


He announced that Sussex, Hampshire (except the New Forest), Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Waverley in Surrey, and the remaining areas of Essex still in tier three, will be escalated to tier four from midnight on December 26.

Matt Hancock said the mutant strain of Covid-19 was spreading at a ‘dangerous’ rate with those areas seeing a surge in cases and the Government must ‘act now’ to tackle them.

Two cases of another new variant of the virus, which mutated in South Africa, have been detected in the UK. It is said to be even more transmissible than the first mutant strain identified last week.

The health secretary told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday that the two people who tested positive for the new strain, and their close contacts, are now in quarantine.



Immediate restrictions have been placed on travel from South Africa and anyone in the UK who has been there in the past two weeks – and anyone who has been in close contact with them – must self-isolate immediately.

The measures come as it was revealed this afternoon the R rate is rising across the country and remains above 1.

Concerns have been raised over the fast-spreading mutant variant which is now said to be ‘everywhere’ in the UK, and is 70% more infectious than the original Covid-19.

However, at this stage experts say it does not appear to be any more harmful and the vaccines should still be effective against it – but urgent work is underway to confirm this.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×