According to official figures from the health department, the United Kingdom is the first country in Europe to register more than 100,000 deaths from coronavirus.
The UK has the fifth highest toll worldwide – after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico – reporting a further 1,631 deaths and 20,089 new cases on Tuesday, with critics blaming the government for an apparently slow initial response to the COVID-19 . crisis.
The 100,162 recorded deaths are more than the country’s number of civilian casualties in World War II and twice the number killed in the Blitz bombings of 1940-1941, although the total population was smaller at the time.
“I am deeply sorry for 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 tell you is that we have really done everything we could, and will continue to do what we could, to minimize the loss of life and suffering,” he added during a briefing.
Andrew Simmons of Al Jazeera, reporting from Bradford, said Johnson’s comments are unlikely to “calm those who feel he was too late to take action every step of the way; he walked around the bend ”.
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 UK was struggling to contain the pandemic because the government has “ steadfastly refused the science, despite claims that it does this ”.
“The lessons from science are that when the number of infections increases, you need to take immediate measures to suppress transmission to reduce the prevalence of infection in the community. But at every stage, the government has slowed and delayed locking, with the result that the virus has gotten out of control, ”said Horton.
“The result of this is more hospital admissions and deaths. This could be avoided entirely if the government had acted more decisively and earlier. ”
Opposition leader Keir Starmer, who repeatedly accused Johnson of being too slow to respond to the pandemic, said the prime minister’s indecision has cost lives and worsened the economic impact.
Johnson, who himself contracted COVID-19 and ended up in intensive care, has defended his track record and says it’s easy to find faults when you look back.
England, by far the most populous of the UK’s four countries, went into another national lockdown on January 5, including the closure of pubs, restaurants, non-essential shops and schools for most students. Further travel restrictions have been put in place as the government fights to speed up the delivery of vaccinations and keep new, more transmissible variants of the virus at bay.
In December, the UK became the first country in the world to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and set itself the task of offering injections to anyone aged 70 and over, those who are clinically vulnerable, primary care workers and societal workers and older adults in nursing homes in mid-February.
Until Monday, a total of 6,853,327 people had received a first dose and 472,446 a second dose.
The government has said vaccination coverage and vaccination success are key to reducing restrictions as the UK struggles with the highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the world, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
“Unfortunately, we will see many more deaths in the coming weeks before the effects of the vaccines become noticeable,” said Chris Whitty, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer.
New variants have also alarmed scientists, and Johnson has warned that the prospect of a “vaccine-busting” variant could mean that lockdown measures are longer needed.
The UK is about to announce whether it will also introduce mandatory quarantine in hotels for some or all arrivals and has warned the public not to book summer vacations.
“My thoughts are with every person who has lost a loved one – behind these heartbreaking numbers are friends, families and neighbors,” Secretary of State Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.
“I know how difficult the last year has been, but I also know how strong the determination of the British public is and how much we’ve all worked together to get through this.”