UK coronavirus deaths rise to 33,998 with 384 more victims – but weekly death toll is lowest since end of March

CORONAVIRUS deaths in the UK have risen to 33,998 after 384 more people died - but the weekly death toll is the lowest since the end of March.

In the past week, a total of 2,757 people died in care homes and hospitals across the UK, figures from the Department of Health show.

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This is the lowest weekly rise in deaths since the week ending March 27, when 1,003 lost their lives to the deadly disease.

But it comes as new data released today has revealed the coronavirus “R” infection rate has risen.

Experts fear that Covid-19's reproduction number has gone up from between 0.5 and 0.9 to 0.7 and 1 in some parts of the country.

A total of 236,711 people have also now tested positive for Covid-19 across Britain - up 3,560 cases from yesterday.

The number of new daily cases has increased from yesterday - when 3,446 were recorded on Thursday.

Today's death toll refers to those who have died in all settings - including care homes, hospices and the wider community.

The latest rise in deaths confirmed by the Department of Health is smaller than it was yesterday, when 428 more deaths were logged.

Today's figures are a slight decline from last Friday's 636.

It's the lowest number of deaths recorded on a Friday in the UK for the last seven weeks.

Among the latest UK deaths is Safaa Alam, an NHS midwife who had worked at Birmingham Women’s Hospital for six years.

The 30-year-old died while grieving her father's death and had warned others on Facebook about the killer bug during the early days of the Covid-19 crisis.

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It comes as:

• ONS figures show one in 10 Covid-19 deaths in England and Wales were in healthy people
• Sadiq Khan has hiked London's congestion charge and fares for Londoners after his multi-billion bailout from the Government
• A doctor has warned that coronavirus could be around for at least two years
• New data shows the North East and Yorkshire has the highest coronavirus infection rates of any UK region

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In England, the total number of Covid-19 deaths rose to 24,345 today - up 186 from yesterday.

Patients were aged between 15 and 99 years old and 10 had no underlying health conditions.

In Scotland, a total of 2,053 patients have died after testing positive for coronavirus - up by 46 from yesterday.

In Wales, nine more deaths were recorded overnight, bringing the overall tally there to 1,173.

There have been 15 more deaths in Northern Ireland, bringing their death toll to 469.

New analysis published today, suggests the overall death toll from the virus is far higher - and has already passed 41,000.

The alternative toll, tallied up by the Office for National Statistics, refers to all deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on death certificates this year until the beginning of May, including suspected cases.

Figures released today by ONS show that care home deaths are the highest in the South East and North West as 12,526 residents have died from killer bug.

Covid-19 was the leading cause of the death for male care home residents and the second leading cause of death in female care home residents.

Those aged between 65 and 69 accounted for the highest proportion of deaths involving coronavirus in both male and female care home residents - 35.1 per cent and 30.3 per cent respectively.

Today's figures showed more than 2,000 care home residents in the South East and 1,899 in the North West have died involving the killer bug - making them the hardest hit regions.

Days after some lockdown measures were eased - including urging those who can't do their jobs from home to return to work - the "R" rate has increased again.

At the start of Britain's outbreak, the number is thought to have been between 3.5 and 4 and the country was forced into lockdown.

The strict 'stay at home' measures saw the UK's R rate pushed down to a range below 1 - varying in different regions.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has today warned that the range is now somewhere between 0.7 and 1.

In order to begin considering easing lockdown, the "R" rate needs to be below one.

Meanwhile Gavin Williamson has demanded teachers "do their duty" and return to work next month as a union threatened to sue headteachers if staff are not safe.

A row has erupted between hardline union chiefs and the government over their decision to reopen schools from June 1 amid fears young children could spark a deadly second wave of coronavirus.

It comes a study has suggested that kids are just as likely as adults to contract Covd-19.

A survey from ONS of 10,705 people has found "no evidence" of differences between age groups in those who tested positive.

The number of those testing positive for coronavirus is between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent across all ages.

Fears of a second wave are mounting as London Mayor Sadiq Khan has faced criticism for not increasing London transport services so Tubes are not as crowded.

Since Brits unable to work from home were told to head back to the office on Wednesday, public transport has been much busier.

Mr Khan had threatened to pull bus, Tube and rail services from Monday to help ease his budget blackhole if the Government did not come up with the cash.

Instead, Mr Khan crumbled and handed control of the capital's transport system over.

In return he got a £1.6bn bailout and to make up for the lost fund, he also agreed to hike the London congestion charge up to £15-a-day next month, the Evening Standard revealed.