Coronavirus: 135 more deaths as UK passes 300,000 cases
A further 135 people have died of coronavirus in the UK, the latest figures from the Department of Health revealed today.
The increase means that the total number of people to have died from the disease has reached 42,288.
The figures also showed that the number of confirmed cases of the disease has now passed 300,000.
There were 1,218 new positive cases as of this morning, taking the overall total to 300,469.
Government data does not include suspected Covid-19 deaths, the UK’s figure for which is estimated to have risen above 53,000.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the UK has the third highest death toll from the pandemic, behind the US and Brazil, and the fifth highest number of cases.
However, scientists and politicians are now optimistic that the UK can begin to reduce its death rate after a common steroid was found to significantly lower the mortality rate among the most serious cases.
Dexamethasone, which is available over the counter for as little as £5, was shown to reduce deaths among those on ventilators by as much as a third in a recent clinical trial.