UK sees 684 new deaths from Covid-19, toll rises to 19,506

0
473
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: An NHS sign sits on the outside of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital on January 3, 2018 in London, England. Hospitals in the UK have been advised to postpone all non-urgent operations until the end of January as the NHS struggles to cope with the surge in patients over the winter period. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

The death toll from the new coronavirus in hospitals across the United Kingdom has risen to 19,506, an increase of 684 in 24 hours, the latest data from the Health Ministry showed on Friday.

The country now has 143,464 confirmed cases of the virus, up 5,386 in a day.

The death figures are as of 5 pm (1600 GMT) on Thursday, while the test data is as of 9 am (0800 GMT) on Friday.

Nearly 33,000 people freed from quarantine centres

In a statement, AFAD said due to the coronavirus outbreak, 56,293 people were quarantined, most of them brought home from abroad, in all but four of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

It said 32,763 of them have completed their 14-day quarantine period and were released after their test results for Covid-19 came back negative.

“1,977 employees of AFAD helped people who stayed in 144 dormitories of the country’s Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution during the quarantine and evacuation procedures,” it added.

Leaders back WHO’s plan to speed Covid-19 drugs

Global leaders voiced their support on Friday for a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to speed the development of drugs and vaccines to tackle Covid-19.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said pandemic caused by the new coronavirus was the “biggest global threat the world has faced in a generation,” while Spain voiced strong support for the WHO’s “central role” in handling it.