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Day 86 - 2

09/06/2020 Tuesday, Sunny

UK COVID-19 death toll nears 52,000, Reuters tally shows

New data for England and Wales brought the toll to 51,766, the highest in Europe and putting the UK behind only the much larger United States in a pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 people around the world.

The Reuters tally comprises fatalities where COVID-19 was mentioned on death certificates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland up to May 29, and up to May 31 in Scotland. It also includes more recent hospital deaths.

Epidemiologists say excess mortality - deaths from all causes that exceed the five-year average for the time of year - is the best way of gauging deaths from a disease outbreak because it is internationally comparable.

About 64,000 more people than usual have died in the United Kingdom during this year’s pandemic, according to the latest available data, an expert from the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

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