UK death toll tops 10,000 from coronavirus

London, Apr 12 (AP) Health officials say 657 more people in England have died from the new coronavirus, raising the total U.K. deaths over 10,000.

The National Health Service figure does not include deaths in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. A figure for the whole U.K. will be released later.

The 657 deaths come on top of the 9,875 deaths of people with COVID-19 in British hospitals announced Saturday.

While the number of new cases and hospitalizations appears to have plateaued, deaths are still rising. Virus death tolls in Italy and Spain have been on a downward slope, and there are growing fears that the U.K. will end up being the country with the most virus deaths in Europe. (AP) CPS