UK: PM Boris Johnson extends condolences to kin of 100,000 COVID-19 deaths i
As the United Kingdom on Tuesday crossed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths due to COVID-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson extended condolences to the kin of victims and said it was hard to "compute the sorrow contained in the grim statistic".
Johnson during a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday said that he and his government take "full responsibility" for the decisions taken by him and his Cabinet to curb the spread of the virus and reduce the fatalities due to the pathogen. The British Prime Minister further said that he "was sorry for every life that has been lost" stating that the government did everything they could possibly do.
"I am sorry to have to tell you that today the number of deaths recorded from Covid in the UK has surpassed 100,000, and it is hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic. The years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended and, for so many relatives, the missed chance even to say goodbye," Johnson said during a briefing on Tuesday.
He added, "I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one; fathers and mothers; brothers and sisters; sons and daughters and the many grandparents who have been taken... I am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost and of course, as Prime Minister, I take full responsibility for everything the government has done. What I can tell you is that we truly did everything we could and continue to do everything we can do."
The British Prime Minister pledged that when the country "comes through" this crisis, the British public would come together and remember "everyone we lost".
"To all those who grieve, we make this pledge: that when we have come through this crisis, we will come together as a nation to remember everyone we lost, and to honour the selfless heroism of all those on the front line who gave their lives to save others," he said.
"We will remember the courage of countless working people -- not just our amazing NHS and care workers, but shop workers, transport staff, pharmacists, teachers, police, armed forces emergency services and many others - who kept our country going during our biggest crisis since the Second World War," he added.
According to Sputnik, the UK vaccination campaign started on December 8 and as of Tuesday, around 6.5 million people have received at least one vaccine dose.
The vaccination is currently open to five priority groups, including people over 80 years old, some people over 70, clinically vulnerable persons, personnel of care homes, and medical workers.
There are currently three authorised vaccines in the United Kingdom -- the domestically-made AstraZeneca, the US-German Pfizer/BioNTech, and the one developed by US company Moderna.
Johnson called for lessons to be learnt and reflect on once "those vaccines have finally freed us" and added that the best "and most important thing" the people can all do to honour the memory of those who have died from COVID-19 is to "work together with ever greater resolve to defeat this disease."
As per the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the United Kingdom has over 3.7 million COVID-19 cases and 100,359 deaths from the deadly virus across the country.
(ANI)
