Britain reported a record daily coronavirus toll of 381 on Tuesday, including a 13-year-old boy, more than double the number of nationwide deaths posted in the previous 24 hours.
The boy, who died Monday at King’s College Hospital in London, is believed to be Britain’s youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic, with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses.
The country’s previous highest daily toll was 260, recorded on Saturday, with the number dropping to 180 on Monday.
Some 25,150 people have now tested positive for the virus in Britain, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
As of 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) on March 30, 1,789 people have died, the health ministry said on its Twitter page.
But data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales on Tuesday revealed that the true toll could be 24 percent higher.
The government figures cover those who have been taken to hospital and tested for the virus whereas the ONS data is for deaths in the community where COVID-19 is suspected.
The boy’s family said Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab “started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing” before he was admitted to hospital.
“He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning,” they said through a family friend, Mark Stephenson, adding: “We are beyond devastated.”
Johnson told the cabinet via video link that the rising toll “showed the vital importance of the public continuing to stick to the social distancing guidance which has been put in place by the government.”
“The situation is going to get worse before it gets better — but it will get better,” he added.
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