Boris Johnson offers "deepest condolences" as UK surpasses grim milestone of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths

The Prime Minister said he offered his “deepest condolences” to everyone who has lost loved ones to coronavirus, as the UK surpasses 100,000 virus-related deaths.
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In a Downing Street press conference this evening (January 26) Boris Johnson, alongside chief medical officer Chris Whitty and NHS chief Simon Stevens, said it was “hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic” of the Government’s figure for coronavirus deaths having passed 100,000.

Boris Johnson said: “I’m sorry to have to tell you that today the number of deaths recorded from Covid in the UK has surpassed 100,000.

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“It’s hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic: The years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended and for so many relatives the missed chance to even say goodbye.”

Boris Johnson has said it is “hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic” of the Government’s figure for coronavirus deaths having passed 100,000.Boris Johnson has said it is “hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic” of the Government’s figure for coronavirus deaths having passed 100,000.
Boris Johnson has said it is “hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic” of the Government’s figure for coronavirus deaths having passed 100,000.

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, highlighted that Sunday marked a year since the first two patients with coronavirus were treated in hospital in Newcastle.

The Prime Minister added that he offered his “deepest condolences” to everyone who has lost a relative to coronavirus and vowed to ensure those who have died are remembered.

It comes after Mr Johnson initially said 20,000 UK deaths from Covid-19 would be a “good outcome” when the pandemic first hit last year – a figure which has been exceeded by five times as many deaths across the nation.

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He added: “I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who’s lost a loved one: fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and the many grandparents who have been taken.

“To all those who grieve, we make this pledge: that when we come through this crisis we will come together as a nation to remember everyone we lost and to honour the selfless heroism of all those on the front line who gave their lives to save others.

"We will remember the courage of countless working people, not just our amazing NHS and care workers, but shop workers, transport staff, pharmacists, teachers, police, armed forces, emergency services, and many others who kept our country going during our biggest crisis since the Second World War.”

Following the Prime Minister’s comments, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was a “very sad day”.

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Presenting slides of coronavirus data to the Downing Street press conference, he said the number of people testing positive for coronavirus was “still at a very high number, but it has been coming down”.

Professor Whitty cautioned that Office for National Statistics data demonstrates a slower decrease, adding: “I think we need to be careful we do not relax too early”.

He said the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK was still an “incredibly high number” and warned that there would be “quite a lot” more deaths over the next few weeks before the vaccinations take effect.

Boris Johnson reminded people that lockdown measures will only begin to be eased when infections fall.

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He commented: “It’s fair to say the rate of infection is still pretty forbiddingly high but at a certain stage we will want to be getting things open.

“What I will be doing in the course of the next few days and weeks is sending out in more detail as soon as we can when and how we want to get things open again.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.