COVID-19 deaths in UK surpass 1,000

More than 1,000 people in the United Kingdom have died from COVID-19, after the country experienced its largest one-day rise in deaths since the outbreak began, health officials confirmed on Saturday.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that 260 people died in the UK in the 24 hours up to 5 pm on Friday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 1,019. A total of 120,776 people in the UK have been tested for novel coronavirus as of Saturday morning, and 17,089 have tested positive.

Stephen Powis, medical director of the National Health Service in England, said that if the government can keep deaths to below 20,000 "we will have done very well in this epidemic".

"But we shouldn't be complacent about that, it will only happen if we stop the transmission of the virus," Powis said during the UK government's daily COVID-19 briefing. "It doesn't happen by luck; it's not just chance."

The briefing was led by UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma, standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who tested positive for novel coronavirus on Friday and is self-isolating at home. Sharma said Johnson's symptoms remain mild and he is able to fulfil his duties while working remotely.

Sharma announced a number of new measures designed to support businesses that are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. These include improving the insolvency system, suspending wrongful trading rules, and allowing companies to postpone or hold compulsory annual general meetings in a way that is compatible with social distancing guidance.

The government will also relax regulations around the testing of some new products, including hand sanitizer, in order to get them to market as soon as possible.

Powis said that the government is working to increase testing for frontline staff and boost the supply of personal protective equipment.

He reiterated that efforts are underway to increase the number of beds in London hospitals, which are yet to reach capacity. The NHS is in the process of converting the major exhibition center Excel London into a makeshift hospital. The new facility, which is called NHS Nightingale, will be able to accommodate 4,000 patients and will include 500 beds equipped with ventilators.