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The UK's coronavirus death toll will continue to rise as the outbreak moves towards an expected peak in two to three weeks, scientists have warned.

More than 1,000 people have died after contracting the virus, the Department of Health in England revealed on Saturday.

Covid-19 related deaths in the UK jumped from 759 to 1,019 - an increase of 260 and by far the biggest day-on-day rise since the outbreak began.

Brendan Wren, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the report of the further UK deaths "approximates to a person dying every five minutes in our hospitals from Covid-19".

He added: "With the doubling rate of infection every four/five days and the epidemic expected to peak in two/three weeks it is possible that we may get to much higher levels in the coming weeks before we see if the social distancing interventions have an impact.

(Image: Getty)

"Coupled with the observation that the infection can affect all walks of life even without underlying health conditions, this may be a sobering thought for any of the population flouting hygiene measures and/or social distancing."

Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology at the University of Reading, said it was "very sad" but "unsurprising" that the UK had passed the 1,000 Covid-19 related deaths milestone.

He said: "Over the coming weeks we can expect to see the UK's toll of the disease grow substantially, with increasingly large day-on-day numbers of the deceased.

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"It is widely anticipated that we will reach a peak of numbers in around a fortnight, but it should be remembered that the strategy of suppressing the peak, will cause it to broaden and we will see peak mortality level off and stay high for some time before it starts to decrease.

Time Line Coronavirus timeline November 2019 The first case of coronavirus is identified in the city of Wuhan in the province of Hubei, China. It is believed the disease may have stemmed from a "wet" market, where living wild animals are sold for meat. January 21 Coronavirus starts to appear on the UK news agenda as the number of infections grow in China January 25 The British authorities begin to get nervous about the threat, and health officials team up with Border Force agents to track down 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province. January 29 Britons returning from coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China are told they will be put in quarantine for 14 days. January 30 The coronavirus outbreak is declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organisation. January 31 Two members of the same family test positive for coronavirus in England and are treated at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. More than 80 Britons are evacuated from Wuhan by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and are placed in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. February 2 The UK Government pays for a nationwide ad campaign urging the public to wash their hands thoroughly and use tissues to help contain the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, 11 more Britons evacuated from China touch down in the UK and are sent to Arrowe Park. February 3 The Government announces £20 million funding for vaccine research. February 4 The Diamond Princess cruise ship is quarantined off the coast of Japan with 3,700 people on board including more than 100 British citizens due to a coronavirus outbreak. Britons in mainland China are told to leave if they can by the Foreign Office. February 5 Hospitals are told to create emergency assessment pods for coronavirus. February 6 A third person in the UK tests positive for coronavirus after contracting it in Singapore and is treated at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital in London. February 8 Five Britons test positive for coronavirus in France after coming into contact with the third case to be diagnosed at a ski resort. February 9 A final UK Government chartered flight bringing around 150 British nationals back from coronavirus-hit Wuhan touches down and the passengers are quarantined at a facility in Milton Keynes. February 10 The Government declares coronavirus a "serious and imminent threat to public health" and gives itself powers to forcibly quarantine people. The number of cases in the UK reaches eight. February 11 Coronavirus is officially named Covid-19. February 22 A repatriation flight carrying 32 British and European evacuees from the Diamond Princess touches down - and passengers are taken to Arrowe Park Hospital to be quarantined. February 27 The first case of coronavirus is recorded in Northern Ireland. February 28 The first case of coronavirus is reported in Wales. A British man previously quarantined on the Diamond Princess becomes the first UK citizen to die from Covid-19. February 29 The first case of coronavirus is confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. March 2 Scotland confirms its first case of coronavirus. March 3 The UK Government unveils a national plan to tackle coronavirus, including contingency plans to help police if they lose "significant numbers" to the illness. It predicts that in a "stretching scenario", it is possible that up to one fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks. March 5 First patient dies in the UK as number of cases reaches 90. The patient, in her 70s, died in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. A second person, a man in his 80s, dies the following day. March 7 206 cases are now recorded in the UK. March 11 The Covid-19 outbreak is declared a pandemic by the WHO. March 12 The EU and UK scrap face-to-face talks on a post-Brexit trade deal due to the risk posed by coronavirus. Thousands of people are believed to be infected with the virus in Britain. March 13 The first Coronavirus patient dies in Scotland. Top-level football competitions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are suspended. European countries including Austria, Portugal, France, Denmark and Norway begin to ban public gatherings and close schools as the death toll mounts. March 14 A newborn baby tests positive for coronavirus in London. March 15 Number 10 announces daily press briefings on the progress of the pandemic. The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to more than 30 countries March 16 A patient in their 60s becomes the first death in Wales. Scientists at Imperial College warn the Government that around 250,000 people will die in Britain unless stricter measures are adopted to protect the population. March 17 Parliament stops all non-essential public access. Public worship suspended by the Church of England. Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils a £330bn package to help businesses. The Scottish government announces a £350 million support fund to help those left struggling in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Schools, nurseries and colleges are told they must close their doors from the end of the day on 20 March until further notice. March 19 The Queen moves to Windsor Castle early to start Easter court, and is likely to remain there for the duration of the pandemic. Boris Johnson claims the tide can be turned on coronavirus within 12 weeks. March 20 Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon order pubs and restaurants across the UK to close. Rishi Sunak announces a multi-billion pound package of measures to prevent mass layoffs and improve the welfare system. March 23 The UK public is told that from this evening they will only be allowed to leave their homes for limited reasons, including shopping for food, exercise once per day, medical need and travelling for work when absolutely necessary. All shops selling non-essential goods are told to close, gatherings of more than two people in public are banned, all events including weddings but excluding funerals are cancelled. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tells Britons travelling abroad to return home while they still can. March 24 A new scheme is launched to recruit volunteers to help the NHS - initially the target is 250,000 but more than half a million apply in just two days. A new field hospital called the Nightingale Hospital with a capacity of 4,000 is being prepared at the EXcel Centre, Health Secretary Matt Hancock reveals. March 25 The Prince of Wales tests positive for coronavirus but is displaying only "mild symptoms". Many Scots condemn the royal for defying government rules by leaving his main home in London to travel to Balmoral in rural Aberdeenshire. The fact the Prince is tested by NHS Grampian while only displaying mild symptoms while NHS staff are not being given tests also causes controversy. March 26 The first Scottish victim to be named is Danny Cairns, 68, from Greenock who had no underlying health issues. An 84-year-old man becomes the first inmate to die in prison of Covid-19. The UK becomes the largest single contributor in the search for a coronavirus vaccine, pledging £210 million in aid funding. A support package for the self-employed is announced - covering an average of 80% of earnings over the last three years. March 27 Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for Covid-19, while England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty says he has symptoms of the disease and is self-isolating. March 28 UK deaths from coronavirus reach 1,019 - an increase of 260 in 24 hours. In Scotland 40 people have died from the virus. The number of infections reaches an estimated 600,000 world-wide. An NHS chief says the UK will "do well" to only suffer 20,000 deaths during the pandemic. In Italy the death toll passes the 10,000 mark as world's worst hit country reveals 10,023 people have died. March 29 A further coronavirus patient in Scotland has died, bringing the total number of deaths to 41. In total, 1,384 people in Scotland have tested positive for the virus. Greater Glasgow and Clyde has the most cases with 401, followed by Lothian with 188 and Lanarkshire with 184. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launches volunteer scheme Scotland Cares to help tackle coronavirus. March 31 A 13-year-old boy is revealed to be the UK's youngset victim of the pandemic. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, London, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday. The teenager, who had no apparent underlying health conditions, was described as a "gentle and kind" boy with a "heartwarming" smile. April 1 UK suffers biggest one-day death total since the outbreak began with 563 people passing away after testing positive for the virus. Thats saw the total number of fatalities jump from 1,789 to 2,352. The Scottish death toll increased by 16 to 76. April 2 126 people have died in Scotland – an increase of 50 Scots. However, Nicola Sturgeon says that 40 of the 50 deaths happened earlier than the last 24 hours, but have only just been reported to the government. UK deaths jumped by 569 to 2,352 the biggest day-on-day increase so far. Meanwhile, UK government sources say April 12 is likely to be the worst day for deaths based on current projections and that the best case scenario if for Britain to keep the number of Covid-19 fatalities below 20,000 during the crisis. April 3 The UK overtakes China in the grim global death tally of coronavirus victims. The latest figures show the total deaths in the UK are up to 3,605 as of 5pm on Thursday. That followed the biggest one-day jump so far of 684 new cases. April 4 A five-year-old child becomes the youngest British victim of the pandemic so far as another 637 people die to take the UK total to 4,313.

"It's therefore essential that people observe social distancing rules in order to start to turn the tide on the coronavirus."

It took 13 days for the number of deaths in the UK to go from one to just over 100. It has taken a further 10 days for the total to go from just over 100 to just over 1,000.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, appearing at the Government's daily press briefing, said it was basing its response to the outbreak on "the best scientific advice".

Asked about an Imperial College London study which suggested coronavirus deaths in the UK could be lower than feared, Prof Powis said expert input, including from Imperial, came through the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

He added: "The number of deaths that arise out of this epidemic in the UK, if it's less than 20,000 as (government chief scientific adviser) Sir Patrick Vallance said, that would be a good result, although every death... is absolutely a tragedy.

"But we shouldn't be complacent about that, although that would be a good result, it will only happen if we stop the transmission of the virus."