THE UK's coronavirus death toll has passed 29,000 after England recorded another 366 deaths in hospital today.
The official number of people in Britain who have died after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 29,100 after NHS England announced the new deaths - but the real total may be much higher.
A nurse seen at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Falkirk in the midst of the pandemicCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
England's death toll now sits at 21,750 while Scotland today confirmed 44 more deaths to bring their total to 1,620.
Meanwhile in Wales, another 26 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths to 1,023.
Northern Ireland today recorded another 17 deaths - with the total there hitting 404.
According to NHS England statistics released today, the youngest patient killed by the deadly bug was just 29-years-old, with a 49-year-old with no underlying health conditions among the latest fatalities that brought the toll to 29,100.
Screens between desks, staff sitting back-to-back and a ban on hot desking and sharing of equipment are among moves employers must introduce when lockdown is lifted.
The new measures — proposed in draft documents on a return to workplaces — also require staggered shift times to avoid crowding on public transport.
Handwashing kit must be at entry and exit points, with regular cleaning of worktops. Yellow and black tape will tell people where to stand in lifts.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak's furlough scheme to pay 80 per cent of wages up to £2,500 a month cost an eyewatering £8billion in the first month - just shy of the NHS monthly budget of £11billion.
It means a staggering 27million adults are now dependent on the state for at least part of their income.
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Yesterday's figures showed another 250,000 out-of-work Brits have made claims for Jobseeker's Allowance as the economy is ravaged by the Covid-19 lockdown.
The jaw-dropping numbers come on top of 1.2million people who were already unemployed, 5.4million public sector workers and 12.6million people who receive a state pension.
It means more than 27 million people from an adult population of just over 52million - or around 53 per cent of the country - is now state-funded.
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The UK now has the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe, ONS figures have confirmed (Picture: PA)
Another 453 people have died from coronavirus in hospitals across the UK.
The toll was updated after England recorded another 366 deaths in hospitals, Wales another 26, Scotland another 44, and 17 in Northern Ireland.
The Government is due to announce its official death toll later today, which will include deaths in care homes and the wider community.
The latest hospital figures were released after new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the UK now has the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe.
An intensive care worker treats Covid-19 patients at Craigavon Area Hospital in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland (Picture: PA)
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The ONS confirmed more than 32,000 people in the UK have died with suspected Covid-19, which is more than Italy, previously Europe’s worst hit country.
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There were 29,648 Covid-19 deaths in England and Wales, as of April 24. Including deaths for Scotland and Northern Ireland, the toll now stands at 32,313.
That is higher than Italy’s current count of 29,079, although its toll does not include suspected cases.
Ministers dislike comparing death tolls between countres, saying that excess mortality – the number of deaths from all causes that exceed the average for the time of year – is a more meaningful metric.
Graph shows the number of Covid-19 deaths registered in England and Wales, as of April 24 (Picture: ONS)
The ONS also confirmed there were 7,713 deaths involving Covid-19 outside hospitals in England and Wales, as of April 24.
The equivalent number for hospital deaths over this period is 19,643.
A total of 5,890 people died in care homes, while 301 died in hospices. The ONS said 1,306 died in private homes and a further 216 died in communal establishments and other locations.
It is important to note that ONS figures are based on mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates, whether or not the deceased had tested positive for coronavirus.
Scientists urged Boris Johnson to tell people to stop shaking hands the SAME DAY the PM was boasting he was still using the greeting on 'everybody' - and he later became infected with coronavirus
Documents showing science advice to the government on coronavirus released
On March 3 behavioural group said people should be told not to shake hands
Boris Johnson told press briefing that day he was shaking hands with 'everybody'
Scientists were urging Boris Johnson to tell people to stop shaking hands the same day the PM was boasting about shaking hands with 'everybody', it was revealed today.
Newly-released records on the advice given to the government as the coronavirus crisis erupted show Mr Johnson seemingly flouted the recommendations from his own experts.
A meeting of the behavioural group that feeds into SAGE on March 3 concluded that 'Government should advise against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene'.
'A public message against shaking hands has additional value as a signal about the importance of hand hygiene,' the Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) said.
'Promoting a replacement greeting or encouraging others to politely decline a proffered hand-shake may have benefit.'
Mr Johnson told a press conference in Downing Street on March 3 (pictured) that he 'continued to shake hands' and the important thing was washing them
A meeting of the Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) that feeds into SAGE on March 3 concluded that 'Government should advise against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene'
Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds speak with heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day on March 9
However, that evening Mr Johnson told a press conference in Downing Street that he 'continued to shake hands' and the important thing was washing them.
He said: 'I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.
'People obviously can make up their own minds but I think the scientific evidence is… our judgement is that washing your hands is the crucial thing.'
Over subsequent days Mr Johnson was seen shaking hands with celebrities and dignitaries.
Among other revelations in the huge SAGE document dump today:
Scientists warned on the day lockdown became official that the advice was not working and there had to be a 'hard-hitting emotional messaging' to convey 'personal threat'. They said talk of 'herd immunity', fueled by the government's own advisers, might be partly to blame;
There are serious concerns that 'immunity certificates' will be socially divisive if an effective test for coronanvirus antibodies is developed. Employers could shun those without immunity, and desperate people could try to get infected deliberately, according to a paper last month;
As late as March 26, experts were predicting the death toll might be just 10,000 - but it is now over 30,000;
On February 3, SAGE estimated that the number of cases in China was ten times that being officially confirmed.
Immunity certificates 'could cause social divisions'
Employers could shun workers who have not had coronavirus after lockdown, prompting people to actively try to catch the disease, the government's science experts warned ministers.
Secret documents prepared by the independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) last month outlined the potential drawbacks of introducing widespread antibody testing and so-called 'immunity certificates'.
Such tests would show if someone has had the disease and if they have some degree of immunity with accompanying digital certificates then showing employers the health status of staff.
Antibody tests are viewed as one of the key pieces in the puzzle when it comes to getting the UK back to work.
But SPI-B, a sub-committee of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said introducing the tests could result in people trying to 'game' the system.
The documents suggest workers who do not have antibodies could be discriminated against, effectively creating two classes of employee, with those who have had the disease prized because of a belief that they will not get ill again.
Those who are antibody negative could then turn to trying to obtain fake test results or even trying to get ill on purpose to boost their chances of returning to work.
Meanwhile, the documents also warned positive tests could result in people wrongly thinking they no longer need to wash their hands, risking an increase in the transmission of the disease.
Mr Johnson dismissed the trend for coronavirus 'elbow bumps', and insisted he was following scientific advice.
At the press conference that night, he asked Sir Patrick Vallance for confirmation, and the chief scientific adviser nodded and said: 'Wash your hands.'
Mr Johnson used the greeting with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby as he appeared on This Morning on March 5.
On March 9 he shook hands with boxer Anthony Joshua at Westminster Abbey.
But he subsequently came down with coronavirus, needing hospital treatment.
There has been heavy criticism of the lack of social distancing in Downing Street and Whitehall, where a series of senior figures have been infected.
There are claims that meeting rooms were crowded well into the crisis, despite social distancing being crucial.
The SAGE evidence published today shows that at a meeting shortly before the Prime Minister ordered the UK's coronavirus lockdown on March 23, scientists warned that previous guidance was not tough enough.
It said there had to be 'hard-hitting emotional messaging' and convey 'personal threat'.
The paper drawn up by behavioural science experts said: 'The perceived level of personal threat needs to be increased among those who are complacent, using hard-hitting emotional messaging.
'To be effective this must also empower people by making clear the actions they can take to reduce the threat.'
The document suggested that 'communication strategies should provide social approval for desired behaviours and promote social approval within the community'.
It also noted that 'social disapproval from one's community can play an important role in preventing anti-social behaviour' but 'this needs to be carefully managed to avoid victimisation, scapegoating and misdirected criticism'.
He shook hands with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby as he appeared on This Morning on March 5
Mr Johnson shaking hands with Byron Davies as he arrives at the Welsh Conservative Party Conference on March 6
There was a slight fall in the total number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 24 April - driven by a decrease in the number of hospital deaths, according to new figures.
In the seven days to 24 April, there were 21,997 deaths registered in England and Wales - 11,539 more than the five-year average, according to the Office for National Statistics.
However, that week saw the first decrease in the weekly total number of registered deaths since 20 March.
The number of deaths registered in the week to 24 April was 354 less compared with the previous week.
Previous figures have shown deaths in Scotland also falling, although rising in Northern Ireland that week.
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This suggests it may be the week the UK came through its peak mortality rate amid the coronavirus crisis.
Deaths occurring in hospitals in England and Wales decreased by 12.6% in the week to 24 April compared to the previous week, from 9,434 to 8,243.
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But there was a different picture in care homes, where the number of registered deaths increased by 8.1% from 7,316 deaths to 7,911.
And deaths in private homes increased by 5.8% from 4,570 to 4,834.
