London
Britain is “past the peak” of its coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, despite recording another 674 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The coronavirus death is now 26,711, the world’s third-most highest behind the United States and Italy, after changing its reporting to include community as well as hospital deaths on Wednesday.
The UK’s number of confirmed cases rose by 6,032 to 171,253 on Thursday. But Johnson, making his first appearance at a daily government briefing since his own battle with COVID-19, said there were reasons for optimism.
“For the first time, we are past the peak of this disease… and we are on the downward slope,” he told reporters.
“We are coming through the peak or rather we are coming over what could have been a vast peak, as though we have been going through some huge Alpine tunnel.
“And we can now see the sunlight and the pastures ahead of us. So it’s vital that we don’t now lose control and run slap into a second and even bigger mountain.”
Also read: Trump says evidence suggests coronavirus originated from China lab The government’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said the rate of transmission was now below one, with fewer hospital admissions and people in intensive care.
That was having an effect on overall deaths, he said. “The R (rate of transmission) is below 1.0. We think it’s between 0.6 and 0.9 across the nation. Maybe a little lower in some places, a little higher in others but it’s below 1.0 across the country,” he added, referring to the number of people infected by one person with COVID-19.
Johnson’s return to work has coincided with increased pressure to lift a lockdown that was imposed in late March to cut close contact transmission of the virus.
A review is due on May 7 and he said a “roadmap” would be published next week about the government’s plan to ease restrictions, after concerns about the economic effect of the social distancing measures.
The government has also been criticised for imposing a lockdown later than most other European countries.—AP
