Coronavirus: UK deaths rise by more than 100 in a day

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The number of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus has jumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time.

The death toll has risen from 475 to 578, health officials have confirmed.

A total of 104,866 people have been tested, of whom 93,208 tested negative and 11,568 were positive.

Those latest figures are as of Thursday morning, and come after Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled an aid programme to help the self-employed.

The government had been criticised for failing to provide backing for self-employed and freelance workers in its earlier huge package of economic measures.

Meanwhile, in a further development, data collected via the NHS’s 111 telephone service is to be mixed with other sources to help predict where ventilators, hospital beds and medical staff will be most in need.