Medical staff are seen in full personal protective equipment (PPE) outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel centre in east London (Picture: Reuters)

Another 881 people have died after contracting coronavirus, taking the UK death toll to at least 7,978, the Foreign Secretary has confirmed.

Today’s jump in deaths is one of the biggest daily increases since the outbreak began, following a massive rise of 938 yesterday and 854 on Tuesday.

The toll was updated after England recorded another 765 deaths. Scotland reported 81 deaths, while 41 were recorded in Wales and four in Northern Ireland.

The combined figure from the four nations comes to 891, which is slightly higher than the number – 881 – later released by the government this afternoon. The government has said this difference is because each devolved authority often makes amendments to their own data after reporting deaths to the Department of Health (DoH) each day.


A police officer wears a face mask as he stands guard outside St Thomas’ hospital, where Boris Johnson is in intensive care (Credits: AP)

Two cyclists wear facemasks as they head over a bridge in London (Picture: AFP via Getty)

The latest figures emerged as Downing Street said Boris Johnson’s condition ‘continues to improve’ in intensive care where he has spent three nights being treated for coronavirus.



The Prime Minister had a ‘good night’ in St Thomas’ Hospital in London and thanks the NHS for the ‘brilliant care’ he has received, his official spokesman said today.

For our Coronavirus live blog click here.

For all the latest news and updates on Coronavirus, click here.

He was said to be continuing with ‘standard oxygen treatment’, while it was indicated he has not taken part in any drug trials for Covid-19.

‘The Prime Minister had a good night and continues to improve in intensive care,’ his spokesman said as he gave an update from the hospital. He’s in good spirits.’

Why are there different death tolls each day? There has been some confusion around the reporting of death tolls. This is because there are various public bodies all reporting figures according to different criteria each day. On Tuesday, April 7, the Department of Health (DoH) said the UK coronavirus death toll had reached 6,159 after another 786 patients in hospitals died. But this was 68 lower than the combined figure of 854 from England (758), Scotland (74), Wales (19), and Northern Ireland (3). If you added together the self-reported total deaths from England (5,655), Scotland (296), Wales (212), and Northern Ireland (73) on Tuesday, you get a higher figure of 6,236. The government has said this difference is because each devolved authority often makes amendments to their data after releasing death figures to the DoH each day. It is important to note that all of these deaths occurred in hospitals across the UK. They do not take into account the people dying at home, in care facilities, hospices, or other locations outside of hospitals. Deaths outside hospitals are now being recorded weekly by the Office for National statistics (ONS). The latest figures from the ONS suggested the true coronavirus death toll could be 8% higher.

When asked about further specifics about Mr Johnson’s condition or treatment, the spokesman said the update includes all the information the PM’s medical team ‘considers to be clinically relevant’.

His spokesman added the weekly ‘claps for carers’ have been providing ‘wonderful, unifying moments’ for the country while it is hoped millions will turn out again at 8pm.

Mr Johnson was last seen in public clapping for NHS workers in Downing Street last Thursday before his admission to hospital three days later.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been deputising for the PM, is expected to take part in tonight’s show of support for health staff.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

A woman wears a facemask as a precaution against coronavirus as she walks near St Thomas’ hospital in central London (Picture: AFP)

Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister thanks the NHS for the brilliant care which it is providing.

‘The claps for carers have provided wonderful, unifying moments for the entire country.

‘I’m sure that tonight we will once again see people in their millions paying tribute to our fantastic dedicated care workers.’

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the first big breakthrough in Mr Johnson’s health on Thursday, when he said the PM was now ‘sitting up in bed’ and ‘engaging positively’ with medics.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.