UK among European states yet to reach COVID-19 peak, EU says

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London - Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters): The head of the European Union agency for disease control said on Monday, Britain was one of five European countries yet to reach the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak, contradicting the British government’s line.

As of 4 May, Britain had recorded nearly 190,000 COVID-19 cases and almost 28,500 deaths. Only Italy in Europe has so far counted more deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who returned to work last week after himself being seriously ill from COVID-19, said Britain had past the peak and was “on the downward slope”.Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), told EU lawmakers Bulgaria was still recording an increase in cases, while for Britain, Poland, Romania and Sweden the agency had seen “no substantial changes in the last 14 days”. For all other European countries there was a drop in cases, she said. “As of Saturday, it appears that the initial wave of transmission (in Europe) has passed its peak,” Ammon told lawmakers in a video conference.

The ECDC monitors all 27 EU member countries plus Britain, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.