Britain reports another jump to nearly 3,000 Covid-19 deaths

Britain’s deaths linked to novel coronavirus jumped again with a new daily record of 569 deaths on Thursday, taking the country’s total deaths to almost 3,000.

Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed infections rose to nearly 34,000 from 163,000 people tested, but government experts estimated that hundreds of thousands of people are infected.

Health experts continued to question Britain’s low rate of testing compared with most other European nations after cabinet minister Michael Gove said that the government “must go further and faster” in its testing programme.

Gove said the shortage of a chemical reagent was one factor behind the slow increase in testing.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is infected with the coronavirus and self-isolating, has ordered everyone to stay at home except for trips for food shopping, medical needs or one form of exercise per day.