UK virus-related death toll surpasses 40,000

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom became the second country to officially record more than 40,000 coronavirus-related deaths as more than 100 scientists wrote to the British government on Friday to urge it to reconsider lifting virus lockdown restrictions.

The government said another 357 people who had tested positive for the virus have died in the U.K. across all settings, including hospitals and care homes.

That takes the total to 40,261, the world’s second-highest pandemic death toll behind the United States.

The UK’s actual COVID-19 death toll is widely considered to be higher as the total only includes those who have tested positive for the virus.

In an open letter, the scientists urged the government to postpone further easing of the lockdown given the still-high level of daily virus-related deaths and new infections.

“Despite a two-month lockdown, we are still experiencing unacceptable daily numbers of deaths, still in the hundreds, and an estimated 8,000 new infections a day in England alone,” they said.

The scientists, many of whom work in infectious disease biology and immunology, are particularly vexed by the level of community transmission of the virus.

They voiced worries that there could again be “exponential growth” in the number of cases and death.

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