Britain reports zero coronavirus deaths for first time since July 2020

Britain on Tuesday reported zero daily deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since last July, despite a recent rise in cases linked to the Delta variant.

According to the latest government figures, 127,782 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive test since the start of the pandemic — the worst death toll in any European country.  The UK has had 4.49 million cases in total.

The last time that no COVID-19 deaths were recorded throughout the United Kingdom was July 30. Tuesday's zero daily deaths came after the government reported just one COVID-19 death across the UK on Monday, a public holiday.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed Tuesday's milestone as "undoubtedly good news," saying Britain's vaccine rollout, which began in December, was "clearly working." However, he also sounded a note of caution with coronavirus cases on the rise.  "We know we haven't beaten this virus just yet," Hancock added, urging people to follow public health guidance.

Experts have warned, however, that Britain could face a third wave of cases driven by the Delta variant of concern first identified in India.

On Tuesday, Britain recorded over 3,000 coronavirus cases for the seventh straight day, putting in doubt plans by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government to completely lift restrictions on June 21.

"We will continue to assess and monitor the data daily," a UK government spokesman said, adding that the roadmap for removing Covid measures was "based on data, not dates."

Last week, Johnson said there was nothing in current data that suggested England's roadmap would have to be delayed.

Agence France-Presse