Britain's coronavirus death toll has increased to 233 after 56 more people died in just 24 hours.
Just one day earlier the death toll was 177.
The number of people to test positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Saturday is 5,018 - up from 3,983 at 9am on Friday, the Department of Health said.
A total of 72,818 people have been tested in the nation so far, with 67,800 negative results.
Saturday's increase came as Boris Johnson and Government ministers faced mounting pressure to give front-line NHS staff the protective equipment they need as they tackle the coronavirus crisis.
Italian doctors have warned the NHS to expect a "tsunami" of patients as the crisis worsens in the coming days and weeks.
Pubs, restaurants, theatres and other businesses were closed a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ramped up the coronavirus shutdown.
Former Tory health secretary Jeremy Hunt joined calls for the Government to make sure the NHS has the equipment it needs, adding: "We are asking people to put their own lives at risk on the NHS front line.
"It is absolutely heart-breaking when NHS front-line professionals don't have the equipment that they need.
"I think the Government has done a lot in the last week. I think they have unblocked the supply chains, but there is this question about whether it is the right equipment."
