London Ambulance staff members are seen with vehicles in the car park at the ExCeL London exhibition centre in London on April 1, 2020, which has been transformed into the NHS Nightingale Hospital to help with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS
Fatalities in England and Wales are around 60% above the normal weekly average due to the coronavirus, according to the national statistics body, whose data also suggests that the death toll for the virus could be much higher than official figures.
The Office for National Statistics reported Tuesday that the total number of people who had died in England and Wales in the week to April 3 came in at 16,387. That's the highest level of deaths since official weekly statistics began 15 years ago.
The ONS also said its data showed that 6,236 deaths involving the coronavirus in England and Wales had occurred this year up to April 3, and registered by April 11.
That's 50% higher than the 4,093 deaths reported on April 4 by the U.K.'s health department. The ONS didn't include figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
"There is a difference in the numbers as we include all deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate even if only suspected, and we include deaths that happened in hospital and in the community," the ONS said on Twitter.
In contrast, the official U.K. coronavirus death toll only includes those that occurred in hospitals.
The total number of deaths in U.K. hospitals now stands at 12,107, up 778 from the previous day, according to the latest government figures. The U.K. has more than 90,000 confirmed cases of the virus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from a London hospital over the weekend after spending three nights in intensive care with the coronavirus.
"Things could have gone either way," Johnson said Sunday, adding that he owed the NHS his life. He is now recovering at his country residence Chequers, while Foreign Minister Dominic Raab is currently deputizing for the prime minister.
Raab on Monday said that it was still too early to lift the U.K.'s coronavirus restrictions. The country has officially been on lockdown since March 23. Other European nations including Italy and Spain are now looking to lift some restrictions on public life as the number of new infections and daily deaths decline.
According to figures released Monday, 16,888 people who fall into the category of "key workers and their households," and who have shown symptoms or live with symptomatic people, have been tested. So far, 5,733 -- or 34 percent -- were confirmed to have the virus.
Health workers who are not symptomatic and do not live with people who are do not meet the UK's criteria for testing, so the number is not necessarily representative of all workers.
The government has been under intense pressure to ramp up testing for NHS workers and their families, and to improve their access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously said that the ultimate goal is to provide testing to all NHS workers regardless of symptoms.
But the level of testing in the UK remains drastically lower than several European countries. Responding to criticism over the rate, Hancock said on April 2 he would increase the number from 10,000 to 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month -- saying he was "determined we'll get there".
On April 12, however, only 14,506 tests were conducted according to his Health Department, suggesting the government is significantly behind that goal.
On the issue of equipment, meanwhile, Hancock said Sunday that the government was "working night and day to make sure that we get the right PPE."
At least 19 NHS workers battling the coronavirus pandemic have died, and numerous associations representing medical workers have complained that they have not been provided with enough PPE to safely treat Covid-19 patients.
On Monday, the Royal College of Nursing issued guidance that staff were entitled to refuse to work if they did not feel comfortable doing so: "If the employer does not provide appropriate PPE and a safe working environment, as an employee you can refuse to care for a patient."
The union emphasized that this should be a "last resort," and that "you must be able to justify your decision as reasonable, so keep a written record of the safety concerns that led you to withdraw treatment."
Donna Kinnair, the union's chief executive, told the BBC on Saturday that British nurses do not have adequate protection.
"My inbox, on a daily basis, this is the number one priority that nurses are bringing to my attention -- that they do not have adequate supplies of PPE equipment," she said.
According to figures released Monday, 16,888 people who fall into the category of "key workers and their households," and who have shown symptoms or live with symptomatic people, have been tested. So far, 5,733 -- or 34 percent -- were confirmed to have the virus.
Health workers who are not symptomatic and do not live with people who are do not meet the UK's criteria for testing, so the number is not necessarily representative of all workers.
The government has been under intense pressure to ramp up testing for NHS workers and their families, and to improve their access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously said that the ultimate goal is to provide testing to all NHS workers regardless of symptoms.
But the level of testing in the UK remains drastically lower than several European countries. Responding to criticism over the rate, Hancock said on April 2 he would increase the number from 10,000 to 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month -- saying he was "determined we'll get there".
On April 12, however, only 14,506 tests were conducted according to his Health Department, suggesting the government is significantly behind that goal.
On the issue of equipment, meanwhile, Hancock said Sunday that the government was "working night and day to make sure that we get the right PPE."
At least 19 NHS workers battling the coronavirus pandemic have died, and numerous associations representing medical workers have complained that they have not been provided with enough PPE to safely treat Covid-19 patients.
On Monday, the Royal College of Nursing issued guidance that staff were entitled to refuse to work if they did not feel comfortable doing so: "If the employer does not provide appropriate PPE and a safe working environment, as an employee you can refuse to care for a patient."
The union emphasized that this should be a "last resort," and that "you must be able to justify your decision as reasonable, so keep a written record of the safety concerns that led you to withdraw treatment."
Donna Kinnair, the union's chief executive, told the BBC on Saturday that British nurses do not have adequate protection.
"My inbox, on a daily basis, this is the number one priority that nurses are bringing to my attention -- that they do not have adequate supplies of PPE equipment," she said.
A ambulance arrives at the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in London as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s death toll from the coronavirus could run some 15% higher than official figures have indicated so far, according to broader data published on Tuesday that include deaths in the community such as in nursing homes.
The Office for National Statistics said 6,235 people in England and Wales had died by April 3 with mentions of COVID-19 on their death certificates.
“When looking at data for England, this is 15% higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of COVID-19 on the death certificate, including suspected COVID-19, as well as deaths in the community,” ONS statistician Nick Stripe said.
Unlike the daily data published by the government that show only deaths in hospitals, Tuesday’s figures include deaths in the community, such as at nursing homes.
In London, nearly half (46.6%) of deaths registered in Week 14 involved COVID-19, the ONS said.
During the week to April 3, deaths mentioning COVID-19 accounted for 21.2% of all deaths, compared with 4.8% in the previous week.
The latest daily death toll for the United Kingdom published showed a total of 11,329 people had died in hospitals as of Sunday at 1600 GMT across after testing positive for coronavirus.
Reporting by Andy Bruce and William Schomberg, editing by Guy Faulconbridge
China fears that once the coronavirus pandemic has passed, Britain will reconsider allowing Huawei to help operate its 5G telecommunications network.
The top line: Huawei's access is crucial for China's influence and its ability to conduct espionage. But Beijing's coronavirus lies have fueled British concerns about entrusting Huawei with critical infrastructure.
Which explains, then, why Huawei's vice president, Victor Zhang, has just published an open letter urging Britain to stick by its original decision. Fittingly, Zhang's opening and closing sentences carry the Chinese government's favorite propaganda line of the moment: that it is "only by working together" that we can beat the coronavirus.
Of course, the "working together" narrative isn't actually about encouraging global cooperation, but rather about discouraging any criticism of China as some kind of attack on humanity. Zhang also laments the "groundless criticism from some about Huawei’s involvement in the U.K.’s 5G rollout ... without presenting any evidence."
Seeing as how Huawei is a corporate agent of the Chinese Communist Party, and that its software is designed to provide deniable signal intercept-interact capabilities, Zhang's lamentations ring somewhat hollow here. Regardless, the Huawei executive has good reason to be concerned.
In January, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government authorized Huawei to build out noncritical areas of Britain's 5G network. That decision reflected a U.K. Joint Intelligence Committee assessment that limited Huawei 5G access was compatible with British security. But according to the Guardian, the U.K. intelligence community is now pushing for increased restrictions on Chinese access to cutting edge research.
That reporting is correct, but here's a little more context.
First, China's deception over the original coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province isn't the key motive for the shifting U.K. attitude here. Instead, this harder line reflects Joint Intelligence Committee assessments (supported by U.S. intelligence sharing) that Chinese intellectual property theft poses an increasingly unacceptable threat to priority British security and economic interests. This is largely down to Chinese cyber-espionage activities and the deployment of Chinese Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army intelligence officers and agents to infiltrate British companies and research institutions.
That said, Britain's intelligence community, its Government Communications Headquarters signals service aside, continues to believe that British interests can be served by allowing Huawei some access, which will help the economy with lower 5G costs and expanded 5G access.
So, what's Huawei's problem?
Beijing's coronavirus deception campaign has rocked the Conservative Party. Johnson's original authorization to Huawei met a significant backbench rebellion, including by his leadership campaign chief and former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith. Those parliamentarians adopted the American view that Huawei is an intelligence cutout of the Chinese state and cannot be trusted with any access. And thanks to China's lies, those rebels are now being joined by other Conservative parliamentarians, who also see Huawei as too great a risk.
Huawei has previously used a massive marketing campaign to insulate itself against this government pressure. But that's far less feasible today. Thanks to the coronavirus, China's deceptions now aggravate everyday British citizens as much as they do government ministers.
Mr Hancock told the daily press briefing: "Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease as we join the list of countries who have seen more than 10,000 deaths related to coronavirus.
"The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious this coronavirus is and why the national effort that everyone is engaged in is so important."
The UK is the fifth country to surpass 10,000 deaths, joining the US, Spain, Italy and France.
Earlier, Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the UK was likely to be "one of the worst, if not the worst affected country in Europe".
In comparison, he said, the "remarkable" scale of testing in Germany had been key to keeping the number of hospital admissions for coronavirus lower than in the UK.
"Undoubtedly there are lessons to learn from that," he said.
Responding to Sir Jeremy's comments, the health secretary said: "The future of this virus is unknowable as yet because it depends on the behaviour of millions of people and the great British public."
Mr Hancock added that the government took advice from experts "very seriously".
Public Health England medical director Professor Yvonne Doyle said the number of people in hospital with coronavirus in London was stabilising, but it was increasing in north-west England, Yorkshire and north-east England.
Speaking about the loved ones of those who had died, Mr Hancock said: "Their grief is our grief and their stories will not be forgotten."
'Mum was there for me no matter what'
Janice Graham, 58, was the first NHS worker in Scotland to die from coronavirus. Her son said he would miss "everything about her".
The health secretary also congratulated the British public for "rising to this challenge" of staying at home.
"Your steadfast commitment to following these social distancing rules is making a difference," he added.
Ministers are continuing to urge people to stay at home over the Easter weekend to curb the spread of the virus, despite warm and sunny weather across parts of the UK.
Today's fall in the number of newly announced deaths of people with coronavirus is of little comfort as we pass the tragic milestone of 10,000.
And we know that the true death toll to date is higher: this figure doesn't include people who have died with coronavirus but whose death has not yet been reported to the Department for Health.
But it could have been worse.
Up until last weekend, this figure was doubling every three and a half days. Had that continued, we might have seen more than 2,500 deaths announced today. That growth has not happened.
Today's fall could be attributed to less reporting of deaths over a bank holiday. Even if we have not turned the corner, the number of deaths announced each day has held below 1,000 throughout the week.
That is still a terrifying figure. But the slowdown in the growth of new cases, of people hospitalised with coronavirus and in deaths all add to the evidence that the lockdown is working.
The health secretary also announced plans for an NHS app that will warn users if they have recently been in close proximity to someone suspected of having been infected by the coronavirus.
Mr Hancock also addressed ongoing criticism over the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff.
He denied that the government had been too slow to stockpile PPE and said supplies had been "significant", but acknowledged there was "always more to be done".
There were now "record amounts in the system", he added.
Mr Hancock said there was more spare capacity for critical care than there was when coronavirus "first hit our shores".
As of Sunday, there were 2,295 spare critical care beds across Great Britain, up by 150 from Saturday, he said.
The US has now overtaken Italy to have the highest death toll from coronavirus in the world. The latest data, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, shows more than 20,000 people in the US have died.
Chinese multinational telecommunications giant Huawei has published an open letter urging the United Kingdom to not reverse its position on allowing the company to build part of its 5G network.
In January, the British government approved Huawei to move forward with constructing a limited portion of its 5G infrastructure, despite pushback from the U.S. and some of the kingdom's conservative lawmakers. Under the approval agreement, the Chinese company will be allowed to build up to 35 percent of the U.K.'s network while being banned from "sensitive" portions of the new infrastructure.
But a group of conservative lawmakers have pushed back against this approval. Those critics attempted to overturn the government's decision in March, claiming that the company is an arm of China's government. Huawei has consistently pushed back against such accusations, which have also been lobbed by the U.S. The U.S. has blacklisted the company and has severely limited its ability to purchase American-made components.
"At Huawei we are focused on keeping Britain connected—the biggest contribution we can make to the U.K.'s national effort against coronavirus," Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei, wrote in the open letter shared to the company's website on Monday.
A photograph shows the logo of Chinese company Huawei at its main U.K. offices in Reading, west of London, on January 28. In January, the British government approved Huawei to move forward with constructing a limited portion of its 5G infrastructure, despite pushback from the U.S. and some of the kingdom's conservative lawmakers.DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty
"We have built trust in our U.K. business over 20 years by helping our customers—the mobile network operators—provide consumers with affordable, reliable calls and data," Zhang added. "Despite this, there has been groundless criticism from some about Huawei's involvement in the U.K.'s 5G rollout. And there are those who choose to continue to attack us without presenting any evidence. Disrupting our involvement in the 5G rollout would do Britain a disservice."
"Right now, by keeping Britain online, we are able to play our part in helping the country through this difficult period," he wrote.
China critics in the U.S. and the U.K. are concerned about Huawei and its close connection to the Chinese government. They also have criticized China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, attempting to cast blame on the East Asian nation for the growing outbreaks in their countries.
"Over time, we have allowed ourselves to grow dependent on China and have failed to take a strategic view of Britain's long-term economic, technical and security needs," a group of 15 conservative British members of Parliament wrote in an April 4 letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the BBC reported.
Huawei is also lobbying Canada to allow it to help build the North American nation's 5G infrastructure. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company has sent Canada tens of thousand of medical masks and goggles, including N95 respirator masks.
U.S. lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, have voiced concern about this soft power influence from China.
"This administration's retreat from multilateralism has been a boon for Chinese soft power," Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia told Newsweek last week. "This latest display by Huawei, almost certainly done in coordination with the Chinese government, is no exception."
But Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the medical supplies, while appreciated, are not going to influence the government's position toward the Chinese company.
"Receiving goods from a particular company won't necessarily imply at all that we regard different situations with that company any differently in the future," Trudeau said last week.
