The UK's coronavirus death toll could be more than double the government's official figure

• The UK's coronavirus death toll is likely more than double the government's official figure, according to a new analysis by the Financial Times.
• The analysis puts the likely real death toll in the country from the pandemic at over 41,000, more than double the latest official figure of 17,337.
• This is a "conservative" estimate based on ONS data about the total "excess" number of deaths in the country, the FT said.
• Scientists have previously warned that the UK was on course to be the worst-affected country in Europe.
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The UK's real coronavirus death toll is likely more than double the government's official figure, according to a stark new analysis published on Wednesday.

The latest official statistics suggest that 17,337 people in the UK have so far died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to Department of Health figures released on Tuesday.

However, these numbers do not include individuals who die outside of hospitals, or those who have died as a wider result of the pandemic.

The Office of National Statistics this week released figures suggesting that the overall number of deaths registered in England and Wales for the week ending April 10 was 75% higher than historical averages and at its highest level for more than 20 years.

The Financial Times has used this ONS data for "excess deaths" and accounted for delays in reporting and longer-term mortality trends, to estimate that the actual total number of deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the UK across the entire country is now running at 41,102.

The FT describes this as a "conservative" estimate. However, if accurate it would mean that the UK is faring much worse than the government had predicted.

The UK's Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said on March, 17 that a death toll of 20,000 and below would be a "good outcome" for the country.

Today's estimate means the UK has already more than doubled that outcome with hundreds of additional deaths still being reported every day.

The analysis also suggests that the UK may be on course to become the worst affected country in Europe, as recently predicted by Sir Jeremy Farrar, a medical expert who is advising the government's coronavirus response.

UK under pressure to change how it records coronavirus deaths

Johnson's government is under growing pressure to change how it presents the UK's death toll.

Care providers have warned that hundreds of elderly people in care homes are dying from the coronavirus, but not being included in the government's daily figures.

Other countries, such as France, already include these figures in their total death count.

The number of people who died in care homes after catching the coronavirus was 1,043 up until Friday, April 10, according to the ONS. This was a big increase on the 217 total recorded the week before and suggests the number of people dying in care homes is much higher than the UK government has suggested.

Liz Kendall, the Labour Party's Shadow Minister for Social Care, said: "The Government must now publish daily figures of COVID-19 deaths outside hospital, including in care homes, so we know the true scale of the problem.

"This is essential to tackling the spread of the virus, ensuing social care has the resources it needs and getting vital PPE and testing to care workers on the frontline."

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