UK coronavirus deaths top 50,000: official data

LONDON: More than 50,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in Britain have now died, official figures showed Wednesday, with another 595 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.

Britain's death toll now stands at 50,365, the highest in Europe, with another 22,950 testing positive for the disease over the last day, according to government data.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacted to the grim milestone by saying that "every death is a tragedy".

"We mourn everybody who's gone, we're not out of the woods yet, it does still require everybody to follow the guidance and do the right thing to suppress the disease," he said.

The 595 deaths recorded on Wednesday represents the highest daily toll since May 6, when there were 612, according government figures.

The figures include those who tested positive for the disease within the last 28 days.

But wider data compiled by the Office for National Statistics, which include all deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned as a factor on the death certificate, puts the toll at more than 60,000.