Coronavirus: London records no Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours

First time London hospitals free from coronavirus fatalities since lockdown began

NHS workers react at the Royal London Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 28, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow less

No Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in London in 24 hours for the first time since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, health authorities in England have said.

Speaking in the House of Commons, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock called the development a “real milestone”.

“There were no deaths recorded in London hospitals, which is a real milestone for the capital, which of course in the early stages of this pandemic faced the biggest peak," he said.

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"Sadly, we do expect more fatalities in the future though, not least because the figures recorded at the weekend are typically lower,” the government minister added.

The National Health Service in England has said it was the case that a small number of people had died in the UK capital over the weekend but those deaths had not yet been registered and would be added in the coming days.

The low figure for London came as the UK overall recorded its lowest daily rise in the number of coronavirus deaths since lockdown began on March 23.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland also recorded no new deaths from Covid-19 for the second consecutive day.

The low numbers are welcome news for the UK, where the government has faced sharp criticism over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The UK is the second country in the world after the United States to have surpassed 40,000 Covid-19-related deaths.

The UK has a pattern of reporting fewer deaths at the weekend because of a drop in reporting on those days.

One week ago, deaths dropped to 100 at the start of the week before climbing three times higher by Wednesday.