Britain’s coronavirus death toll jumps by 151 as official number of victims reaches 41,279

Britain’s coronavirus death toll today jumped by 151, the lowest increase on a Thursday since March 19, taking the official Government total to 41,279. 

Department of Health figures show the number of daily lab-confirmed Covid-19 fatalities is just slightly lower (14 per cent) than the 176 recorded last Thursday, as the pandemic slowly peters out. 

The official number of victims has topped 41,000 this week, but other grim statistics that count both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 deaths take the total to the 51,000-mark.

There have been more than 291,400 positive test results for the virus so far, the Government said. Millions of Britons have been infected with the virus but gone undiagnosed over the course of the pandemic. 

NHS England today recorded 83 lab-confirmed Covid-19 deaths in hospitals. Wales registered six victims in all settings, followed by five in Scotland. Northern Ireland recorded one extra death after four days of reporting zero.

Britain’s coronavirus death toll yesterday rose by 245 — a figure that was 46 per cent lower than the 359 fatalities registered the Wednesday before.

In other coronavirus developments in Britain today: 

• The contact tracing system has only tracked the contacts of two-thirds of Covid-19 patients, damning figures show, as lead of system says the system is not ‘at the gold standard we want to be’;
• Rishi Sunak has heaped pressure on Boris Johnson to ease the two-metre social distancing rule amid a major Tory revolt. The rule could sink tens of thousands of businesses, the PM has been warned;
• Research from King’s College London suggests cases of Covid-19 in the UK have halved in one week with less than 5,000 new infections per day;

The Department of Health has, for the 20th day in a row, been unable to say how many people have been tested in one 24-hour period. It says 197,000 tests were carried out, but not how many of these were repeat tests or for surveillance research.

A total of 1,266 tests came back as positive. But there will be thousands infected every day who either do not show symptoms, or show symptoms but don’t get a test.

Research published today estimates fewer than 5,000 people are getting the virus every day in the UK. It suggests the outbreak has almost halved – down 48 per cent – in one week, considering there were 9,4000 new cases per day last week.  

The estimate from researchers at King’s College London does not include Northern Ireland or care homes, where the virus is still thought to be spreading, meaning the true rate could be much higher.

The figures were based on a sub-group of 1million people who use the COVID Symptom Study app, of whom 12,872 carried out swab tests when they began to feel unwell.

The results of these swabs, taken between May 24 to June 6, were extrapolated to the wider population of 66.6million. 

New infections fell 49 per cent in the North West, where 820 people are being struck down every day — down  from 1,608 last week. The South East has seen a 46 per cent drop (365 from 674), followed closely by a 43 per cent decrease in the South West (162 from 284).  

The North East and Yorkshire is reporting the highest number of new infections per day, while the South West is seeing the least, according to the estimate. 

But the number fell from 1,965 to 1,275 a reduction of 35 per cent, suggesting that the situation is improving across all regions. 

Cases are still lower in London than the north or east of England. Some 790 people are becoming infected per day, a drop of 27 per cent from last week.

And the R rate — the number of people an infected person passes the virus to — was predicted to be below 1 across all regions. 

The estimate is in line with a government-run surveillance sample but is three times lower than Public Health England’s projected figure of nearly 17,000 a day. 

Lead author of the King’s College London study, Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology, said: ‘Whilst the numbers are falling, thousands of cases of COVID are still very much in the population so measures such as social distancing, regular swab testing, wearing of gloves and face masks in public and maintaining high levels of personal hygiene should be followed closely if we want to keep the numbers low going forward.’ 

It comes as damning figures today showed Number 10’s flagship contact tracing system – considered a crucial part of the puzzle for avoiding a second wave – has only tracked down the contacts of two thirds of Covid-19 patients.

Between May 28 and June 3, 8,117 people who tested positive for the coronavirus were referred to the NHS’s flagship scheme. But shocking statistics show contact tracers could only get information from 67 per cent of them (5,407).

Hundreds did not respond to phone calls or refused to give details of people they had been in contact with, the Department of Health admitted in another blow to the scheme that  has been described as ‘shambolic’ by workers.

Overall 31,794 contacts were identified — the equivalent of almost six (5.8) for every infected patient. Only 26,985 of these contacts — 85 per cent — were tracked down and advised to self-isolate, the statistics revealed. 

Of those people who were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts, just over three-quarters (79 per cent) were contacted within 24 hours of their case being transferred to the Test and Trace system.

Baroness Dido Harding — the head of the test and trace scheme — today admitted it wasn’t yet ‘at the gold standard we want to be’. She added: ‘Is it completely perfect? No, of course it isn’t.’

The data comes as feedback from the Isle of Wight suggested that the NHS’s long-awaited coronavirus contact tracing app — which has yet to be rolled-out — could be an effective way to stop the spread of the disease.

Just two new cases of the illness have been discovered on the island since the app’s initial trial ended on May 26 — a noticeable drop on the 45 cases spotted during the trial, suggesting it stopped patients from infecting other people.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously promised the app, then considered a vital part of the government’s test and trace strategy, would be ready to be rolled out across the UK by the middle of May.

But repeated delays have meant the app — now considered the cherry on top of the cake — is still unavailable anywhere except the Isle of Wight.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces mounting pressure to reduce the two-metre rule from Tory backbenchers.

MPs and businesses warn that keeping the restriction in place could sink tens of thousands of businesses. Campaigners say it stops schools reopening properly while pubs and restaurants fear going bust.

Rishi Sunak has now joined the major Tory revolt – the Chancellor indicated his support for loosening the guidelines as he answered questions from Conservative MPs last night.

Mr Sunak highlighted warnings from business about the dire consequences of the limit, and pointed out dozens of countries have already relaxed it to one metre. 

He said he was ‘sympathetic’ to concerns that sectors of the economy cannot get up and running until the situation changes.

There are increasing signs that the PM is preparing to shift on the crucial issue, with Downing Street sources saying he ‘instinctively’ wants to free up business but fears a second peak.

It is understood several other Cabinet ministers are pushing for an overhaul soon.