COVID-19: UK death toll becomes second-highest worldwide 

Britain now has the second-highest coronavirus death toll in the world.

The country’s figure rose to 29,427 on Tuesday as the Health Ministry reported another 693 deaths.

The United Kingdom has overtaken Italy in Europe and only below the United States worldwide.

The U.S. has recorded over 72,000 deaths.

UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, told reporters that the toll was “a massive tragedy; something in this country, on this scale, in this way, we’ve never seen before.”

“In terms of the comparison (with Italy), I don’t think we’ll get a real verdict on how well countries have done until the pandemic is over,” Dpa quoted him as saying.

Experts insist that the British government was slow in its response to the crisis.

They also criticize the country’s low level of testing and the poor provision of intensive care beds, ventilators and protective equipment.

Devi Sridhar of the Edinburgh University Medical School, said the situation was a “triple hit because of lack of early, strong action.”

“Highest death toll in Europe plus major economic hit from longer lockdown plus increase in social isolation, abuse and mental health problems,” Sridhar tweeted.

Germany’s top disease control official, Lothar Wieler, had earlier alerted that there may be the second and third waves of coronavirus infections.