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The number of people who have died from coronavirus across the world has passed one million, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Nine months into the pandemic, the bleak milestone was reached early on Tuesday morning, although the true figure is thought to be larger due to inadequate or inconsistent testing and reporting. The toll is continuing to grow, with nearly 5,000 deaths reported every day.
Meanwhile, the Government has introduced another raft of rules in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, this time imposing bans on music, singing and dancing in pubs, restaurants and bars and introducing costly fines on people who flout orders to self-isolate. Tory MPs are demanding more say over the new laws, with former chief whip Mark Harper accusing ministers of ruling “by decree”.
It came as the NHS is said to be facing a “triple whammy” of issues from the pandemic. The health service is dealing with local outbreaks and a second surge of cases, while trying to manage a “huge backlog” of people needing care with “exhausted” staff and reduced capacity, according to the NHS Confederation.
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