COVID-19: UK death toll drops in last 24 hours as infection cases rise

The death toll due to coronavirus in the UK rose to 18,738 after 616 more people died in the last 24 hours.

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There are now 139, 243 cases of the virus in the UK, according to Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource center's live tracker.

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Although the death toll in the last 24 hours showed a drop with 759 people dying on Wednesday, however,Britain continues to struggle against the virus outbreak which has put pressure on its health services as it combats the disease.

With Britain having announced the lockdown to continue, Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon said restrictions could be lifted in a phased manner north of the border with England.

As Britain battles the virus, Oxford University declared that it is launching a human trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine even as the UN declared that a vaccine was the only way to beat the virus and not a lockdown.

According to a survey, business activity collapsed in the country due to the COVDI-19 pandemic. '

"Widespread business shutdowns at home and abroad in response to the COVID-19 pandemic unsurprisingly resulted in a rapid reduction in UK private sector output during April," a survey of IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) said, adding,"The latest composite PMI signalled by far the fastest decline in business activity since comparable figures were first compiled over two decades ago."

As the virus spread, the British government announced plans for a major study to track coronavirus in the population. In the first phase, a sample of 25,000 people will be regularly tested with the initial findings available next month.

The study will also track antibodies by taking blood samples of at least 1,000 households.