UK COVID-19 deaths rise to 41,481 as another 202 patients die

Another 202 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Thursday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 41,481, the British Department of Health and Social Care said Friday.

The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

As of Friday morning, 292,950 people have tested positive, a daily increase of 1,541, according to the department.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by 20.4 percent in April compared with the previous month, hitting the biggest monthly fall since 1997, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Friday.

"April's fall in GDP is the biggest the UK has ever seen, more than three times larger than last month and almost 10 times larger than the steepest pre-COVID-19 fall," said Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician and director general for economic statistics at the ONS.