U.K. Total Coronavirus Cases Exceed 3 Million; Deaths Top 80,000

A worker in personal protective equipment cleans the inside of an ambulance after arriving at The Royal London Hospital in London, U.K., on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a major incident in the U.K. capital on Friday and warned the state-run National Health Service is at risk of being overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus cases.

(Bloomberg) --

The U.K. became the first country in western Europe to report more than 3 million coronavirus cases, at it grapples with a new strain that’s putting pressure on its health service.

The country reported an additional 59,937 cases on Saturday, taking the total to 3,017,409. The total is the largest in Europe, and fifth-highest in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The country passed 1 million cases on Oct. 31, which doubled seven weeks later on Dec. 19. It took just three weeks to reach 3 million cases.

A further 1,035 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, bringing the total to more than 80,800, also the most in Europe. Reported deaths are usually lower at the weekends.

The new strain of the coronavirus has led to a surge in new cases, forcing the government to place the country under a third national lockdown, closing schools and non-essential businesses.

Globally, there have been more than 89 million cases and 1.9 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The U.K. is the worst-affected country in western Europe, coming behind the U.S., India, Brazil and Russia in the number of infections.