The UK has become the first country in Europe to register more than 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths, according to official data from the health department.
The UK has the fifth highest number of victims globally – after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico – and reported a further 1,631 deaths and 20,089 new cases on Tuesday, with critics accusing the government of an apparent slow initial response to COVID -19 crisis.
The 100,162 deaths recorded are more than the number of civilians killed in the country in World War II and double the number of deaths in the 1940-1941 Blitz bombing campaign, although the total population was smaller.
“I deeply regret every life lost and, of course, as prime minister, I take full responsibility for everything the government has done,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“What I can say is that we really did everything we could and continue to do everything we can to minimize the loss of life and to minimize suffering,” he added during a briefing.
Andrew Simmons of Al Jazeera, reporting from Bradford, said Johnson’s comments are likely “not to calm those who think he was late at every step of the process; he was behind the curve ”.
Earlier this month, Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, one of the oldest and most prestigious medical journals in the world, told Al Jazeera that the United Kingdom was struggling to contain the pandemic because its government “firmly refused to follow the despite the claims that it is doing this ”.
“The lessons from science were that when there is an increase in infections, it is necessary to suppress immediately to suppress transmission and reduce the prevalence of infection in the community. But at all stages, the government delayed and delayed and delayed the blockade, causing the virus to get out of control, ”said Horton.
“The result of this is an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. That would be totally avoidable if the government had acted more decisively and earlier ”.
Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer, who has repeatedly accused Johnson of being too slow to respond to the pandemic, said the prime minister’s indecision had cost lives and worsened the economic effect.
Johnson, who hired COVID-19 and ended up in the ICU, defended his record, saying that it is easy to find fault when we look back.
England, by far the most populous of the United Kingdom’s four nations, re-entered a national blockade on January 5, which includes the closure of pubs, restaurants, non-essential stores and schools for most students. Other travel restrictions were introduced as the government struggles to speed up vaccination and keep new, more communicable variants of the virus under control.
In December, the UK became the first country in the world to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and committed to offering vaccines to all clinically vulnerable people aged 70 and over, frontline health and social workers and older adults in nursing homes in mid-February.
As of Monday, a total of 6,853,327 people had received the first dose and 472,446 the second.
The government said the vaccination rate and the success of vaccinations are critical to reducing restrictions, as the UK struggles with the highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“Unfortunately, we will see many more deaths in the coming weeks before the effects of vaccines begin to be felt,” said Chris Whitty, medical director for the United Kingdom.
New variants have also alarmed scientists, and Johnson warned that the prospect of an “anti-vaccine” variant could mean the need for longer blocking measures.
The UK is due to announce whether it will also bring mandatory hotel quarantine for some or all arrivals and has warned the public not to book summer holidays.
“My thoughts are with every person who has lost a loved one – behind these heartbreaking figures are friends, families and neighbors,” said Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock on Tuesday.
“I know how difficult last year was, but I also know how strong the determination of the British public is and how much we all come together to overcome it.”