UK coronavirus death toll reaches highest peak since April as cases soar to new record

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This is the highest daily death toll since the first wave
ESI
Luke O'Reilly23 December 2020

The UK has recorded 744 more deaths, the highest daily toll since last Spring, along with more than 39,000 new coronavirus cases - the highest case number yet.

The Government said a further 744 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 69,051.

It is the highest deaths figure reported on one day since April 29 during the first peak of the virus. 

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 85,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

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It is the highest deaths figure reported on one day since April 29
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The Government said that, as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 39,237 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, the highest figure reported on a single day throughout the whole pandemic.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 2,149,551.

It comes as the Government implemented a travel ban on passengers arriving in England from South Africa after two cases of another new strain of Covid-19 linked to the country were identified in the UK.

From 9am on Christmas Eve, visitors arriving in England who have been in or transited through South Africa in the previous 10 days will not be permitted entry and direct flights will be banned, the Department for Transport said.

The ban excludes cargo and freight without passengers, and also does not include British and Irish nationals, visa holders and permanent residents, who will be able to enter but are required to self-isolate for 10 days along with their household.

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