UK COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 150,000

7th After the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico, and Peru
Confirmed Cases Are Decreasing but the Healthcare System Remains on Alert

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom has surpassed 150,000.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The UK government announced that on the 8th (local time), 313 additional deaths occurred within 28 days of a COVID-19 diagnosis, bringing the total to 150,057. As of that date, the total cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the UK was 14,333,794.

BBC reported that the UK became the seventh country, following the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico, and Peru, to exceed 150,000 COVID-19 deaths. However, BBC noted that the combined effects of lockdowns and vaccinations have slowed the increase in deaths.

New confirmed cases on that day were 146,390, a decrease compared to about 180,000 the previous day. Hospital admissions as of the 3rd stood at 2,434.

Although new confirmed cases are declining, the emergency situation in the UK healthcare system continues. Emergency patients are experiencing hours-long waits in ambulances without being admitted to hospitals.

Tracy Nichols, president of the UK Ambulance Association, said, "I never imagined a situation where patients would die waiting in ambulances outside hospitals," adding, "Now, we have become numb to it, and it doesn't even seem like big news." She mentioned that in some hospitals, doctors are increasingly performing light treatments or diagnostics, such as blood draws, in parking lots.

There is also concern about the Omicron variant spreading from London to other regions with poorer medical and infrastructure conditions.

Professor Mike Tildesley of the University of Warwick said, "Most regions are 2 to 3 weeks behind London," and added, "It is particularly concerning that hospitalizations are increasing in the Northeast and Northwest." He also stated, "While the increase in cases in London is slowing, it will take about two weeks to see if this trend continues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.