UK COVID-19 toll jumps by record 708 in 24 hours as total crosses 4,000

The United Kingdom has registered a record daily increase in the COVID-19 death toll for the fifth day in a row, as 708 more people have died after testing positive for the disease, the country's Department of Health and Social Care reported on Saturday.

As a result of this increase, the number of deaths recorded since the start of the outbreak stood at 4,313 as of 17:00 GMT on Friday, the department reported in Saturday's statistical bulletin.

The UK's COVID-19 death toll has steadily risen throughout the week. On Friday, the Department of Health and Social Care reported 684 deaths in the preceding 24 hours. A total of 569 deaths were reported by the department on Thursday.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK since the start of the outbreak has also surpassed 40,000, after health authorities on Saturday registered 3,735 new cases of the disease, a decrease compared to Friday's rise of 4,450.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus disease on March 27. In a video message posted on social media on Friday, the prime minister said he was still displaying symptoms of the disease and would continue to conduct his duties from home.