The UK government Covid-19 death toll surpassed 100,000 after 1,631 new fatalities were reported, bringing the UK overall record to 100,162, according to The Guardian.
The UK reported 20,089 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, compared to Monday’s 22,195.
In a press conference on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister apologised “for every life lost” and took “full responsibility for everything the government has done” as he offered his “deepest condolences”.
Boris Johnson has insisted his government “did everything we could” to limit coronavirus deaths and expressed sorrow after the total UK death toll surpassed 100,000, but refused to discuss the reasons why it might be so high.
The Prime Minister said: “What I can tell you is that we truly did everything we could, and continue to do everything that we can, to minimise loss of life and to minimise suffering in what has been a very, very difficult stage, and a very, very difficult crisis for our country, and we will continue to do that.”
Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, warned that there will be additional deaths to add to the total as he expects “quite a lot of deaths” over the next few weeks.
Despite the harsh realities of Tuesday’s graphic figures, there is hope for England as hospital admissions of people with coronavirus are starting to decline. NHS England has said that on 23 January there were 2,780 daily admissions, which is the lowest figure since New Year’s Eve.
As the NHS continues with its large-scale vaccination plan with the top priority groups being vaccinated first, the government believes this programme remains a key step out of the pandemic.
