Covid-19: 'National tragedy' as UK coronavirus death toll passes 100,000

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 115,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK - the first European nation to pass the landmark.

The government also said that, as of 9am on Tuesday (January 26), there had been a further 20,089 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,689,746.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered his "deepest condolences" to everyone who has lost a loved one" during a press conference in Downing Street this afternoon (January 26).

He said: "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 even to say goodbye.

"To all those who grieve we make this pledge that when we've 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."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government's measure for the coronavirus death toll having passed 100,000 is "heart-breaking" and warned there is still "a tough period ahead".

He said: "My thoughts are with each and every person who has lost a loved one – behind these heart-breaking figures are friends, families and neighbours.

"I know how hard the last year has been, but I also know how strong the British public’s determination is and how much we have all pulled together to get through this.

"We’re undertaking a huge national effort to vaccinate the most vulnerable people in our society, with over 6.5 million jabs across the UK to date, and thanks to the brilliance of our scientists and clinicians we know more today about this terrible new virus and how to beat it."

"The vaccine offers the way out, but we cannot let up now and we sadly still face a tough period ahead. The virus is still spreading and we’re seeing over 3,500 people per day being admitted into hospital.

"The single most important thing we must all do now is stay at home to save lives and protect our NHS."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the milestone as a “national tragedy”.

He said: "We must never become numb to these numbers or treat them as just statistics. Every death is a loved one, a friend, a neighbour, a partner or a colleague. It is an empty chair at the dinner table.

"To all those that are mourning, we must promise to learn the lessons of what went wrong and build a more resilient country. That day will come and we will get there together.

"But for now we must remember those that we have lost and be vigilant in the national effort to stay at home, protect our NHS and vaccinate Britain."

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