UK coronavirus cases rise to almost 20,000 with 209 dead in 24 hours

The Department for Health said on Sunday, “As of 9am 29 March, a total of 127,737 have been tested, with 108,215 negative.”

The UK total coronavirus cases now stands at 19,522, with 1,228 deaths across the UK.

Ten more people have died in Wales in 24 hours after testing positive for coronavirus bringing the total to 48.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales said on Sunday, “148 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1241, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.”

Cabinet office minister, Michael Gove has said the UK wide lockdown is not fixed in terms of length of time, and it will depend on how the public behave.

Gove told Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday the lockdown could be shortened, if people do follow the governments advice, but did not provide a time limit.

However, disease expert Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London said lockdown measures could last until June, in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Professor Ferguson told the Sunday Times, “We’re going to have to keep these measures [the full lockdown]in place, in my view, for a significant period of time, probably until the end of May, maybe even early June.

“May is optimistic.”

Europe currently accounts for half of the world’s coronavirus cases, Germany Italy and Spain have seen thousands of deaths in recent weeks and are the worst hit countries.

It is feared that civil unrest is about to “explode at any moment” as the largest cities across Europe are struggling with either no or low incomes due to the pandemic, a Red Cross chief has warned.

Many countries across Europe are having lockdowns extended, particularly in Spain and Italy as the cases are rapidly climbing.

A Red Cross official has warned that Europe’s cities will imminently erupt with civil unrest, as this is a “social bomb.”

Meanwhile, an expert in the supply chain has warned supplies of paracetamol will run out within two to three months.

Panic buyers stripped the shelves bare of medications the last month and the UK relies on India to make the tablets. But India is now in a strict lockdown, so no factories are making paracetamol.