UK ‘past peak’ of coronavirus outbreak, PM Johnson says

by Phil Hazlewood / James Pheby

Britain is “past the peak” of its coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, despite recording another 674 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The coronavirus death is now 26,711, the world’s third-most highest behind the United States and Italy, after changing its reporting to include community as well as hospital deaths on Wednesday.

The UK’s number of confirmed cases rose by 6,032 to 171,253 on Thursday.

But Johnson, making his first appearance at a daily government briefing since his own battle with COVID-19, said there were reasons for optimism.

“For the first time, we are past the peak of this disease… and we are on the downward slope,” he told reporters.

“We are coming through the peak or rather we are coming over what could have been a vast peak, as though we have been going through some huge Alpine tunnel.

“And we can now see the sunlight and the pastures ahead of us. So it’s vital that we don’t now lose control and run slap into a second and even bigger mountain.” (AFP)