‘Appalling’: Record UK COVID deaths for second day in a row | Al Jazeera

Britain reported a record 1,820 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday exceeding a record set only the day before, as scientists warned that the lockdown that began earlier this month was having little effect on the prevalence of the illness.

Government data showed there was also a rise in new cases, climbing to 38,905 compared with  33,355 a day earlier.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged the severity of the pandemic and warned worse could be ahead given the large number of cases.

“These figures are appalling,” Johnson told broadcaster Sky News. “And, of course, we think of the suffering that each one of those deaths represents to their families and to their friends. I’ve got to tell you … there will be more to come.”

The government imposed a third national lockdown on January 5, closing bars, restaurants and most schools and allowing only essential shops to open.

People have been urged to stay at home as much as they can to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed and to give authorities time to roll out COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly and those at highest risk.

Johnson admitted that while it seemed as if some rates of infection “in the country overall” might be peaking or flattening, “they are not flattening very fast” as he urged people to stick with social distancing and other measures designed to curb the disease’s spread.