UK deaths from coronavirus outbreak rise to 463, global toll soars past 21,000

Globally Italy has recorded 7,503 fatalities, Spain has recorded 3,647 deaths and China where the virus first surfaced, has reported 3,281 deaths.

An estimated 21,185 fatalities have occurred globally, with 468,577 cases reported.

The British government is anticipating a peaking of coronavirus cases in Britain in the coming weeks and has appealed to manufacturers to supply the National Health Service with the appropriate requirements.

Britain had been in talks with over 3,000 businesses about supplying ventilators to quickly increase the health service’s capacity. 

The country’s existing stock of about 5,000-8,000 ventilators is inadequate if cases jump as predicted.

Britain has ordered 10,000 medical ventilators designed at breakneck speed by vacuum cleaner-maker Dyson, according to an internal email to Dyson’s staff, which was seen by Reuters.

Separately, over 170,000 people have signed up to help the NHS tackle the outbreak.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Britons on Monday to stay at home to halt the spread of the virus, imposing curbs on everyday life without precedent in peacetime.

- Reuters