Iran Press/Europe: The death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United Kingdom rose 621 to 28,131 as of May 1, a few steps closer to the death toll in Italy, which is the worst-hit in Europe.
As Britain shadows Italy for the grim status of being the worst-hit country in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing criticism from opposition parties who say his government stumbled in the early stages of the outbreak, The New York Times reported.
Housing Minister Robert Jenrick gave the latest UK figures at a Downing Street briefing on Saturday.
The United States has had 64,740 deaths, followed by Italy with 28,710 and the United Kingdom on 28,131 and then Spain on 25,100, according to a Reuters tally.
Italy, which has a population of 60 million, said its death toll rose 474 as of Saturday. The United Kingdom has a population of about 67 million.
Johnson, 55, initially resisted introducing a lockdown to restrict economic and public activity but changed course when projections showed a quarter of a million people could die.
Johnson himself battled COVID-19 last month, spending three days in intensive care. He returned to work on Monday, claiming that people around the world were looking at the United Kingdom's "apparent success".
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