According to figures released on Saturday by the UK Department of Health, the new coronavirus epidemic has left 917 people dead in the UK over the past 24 hours. A total of 9,875 people died from Covid-19 in British hospitals.
In addition, the ministry has identified 5,234 additional people tested positive, bringing to 78,991 the total of people infected with the disease in the United Kingdom.
If it remains very high, the death toll is down slightly since Friday, the Minister of Health Matt Hancock had announced 980 additional deaths.
Boris Johnson makes "great progress"
Among the patients is Prime Minister Boris Johnson, hospitalized for almost a week. "The Prime Minister continues to make great progress," said a spokesman on Saturday.
On Friday, the Prime Minister's services announced that he was starting to "walk a bit" and that "his morale remains very good". Boris Johnson is in "the initial phase" of his recovery and his return to executive leadership will depend on "the advice of his medical team". The 55-year-old conservative leader left intensive care Thursday where he had been since Monday.
It is the head of diplomacy, Dominic Raab, who ensures the interim in the absence of Boris Johnson. The British government is to rule on a possible extension of the containment, which began on March 23. No formal decision is expected before the end of next week.