COVID-19: UK’s Death Toll Becomes Second Highest In The World

The second-highest COVID-19 death toll in the world has now been recorded in the UK.

With 693 death on Tuesday, the country’s figure rose to 29,427 as reported by its Health Ministry.

The new figure has overtaken that of Italy in Europe and only below the United States worldwide.

Since its outbreak in the U.S, it has recorded over 72,000 deaths.

UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, who spoke with reporters that the toll was “a massive tragedy; something in this country, on this scale, in this way, we’ve never seen before.”

“In terms of the comparison (with Italy), I don’t think we’ll get a real verdict on how well countries have done until the pandemic is over,” Dpa quoted him as saying.

Experts have opined flag the country’s government wasn’t fast in controlling the crisis.

They blamed the country’s low rate o testing and poor provision of beds, ventilators and protective equipment.

Devi Sridhar of the Edinburgh University Medical School, said the situation was a “triple hit because of lack of early, strong action.”

“Highest death toll in Europe plus major economic hit from longer lockdown plus increase in social isolation, abuse and mental health problems,” Sridhar tweeted.

Germany’s top disease control official, Lothar Wieler, had earlier alerted that there may be the second and third waves of coronavirus infections.