The UK becomes the seventh country to pass the 150,000 milestone, following the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. Unfortunately, Indian doctors are among the largest numbers to have succumbed to the virus. The first country in Europe to reach this grim milestone, Saturday saw a further 313 deaths pushed the tally to 150,057.
“Today marks a sombre and deeply tragic milestone in our fight against this devastating virus. Each of the 150,000 who have died has left loved ones and friends behind, and our thoughts and sympathies go out to them for their loss. We must not play down the impact of Omicron as a mild illness, especially with increasing numbers of patients being hospitalised,” remarked Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of, British Medical Council.
Recognising the “terrible toll”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged: “Each and every one of those is a profound loss to the families, friends and communities affected and my thoughts and condolences are with them….”
Indian doctors on the frontline made the ultimate sacrifice: Jitendra Rathod, 58, cardiac surgeon, University Hospital of Wales, died on April 6, 2020; Krishan Arora, 57, GP in Croydon, south London, died on April 15, 2020; Manjeet Singh Riyat, 52, consultant, Royal Derby Hospital, died on April 20, 2020; and so on.
On March 26, 2020, Pooja Sharma, 32, a pharmacist in East Sussex at Eastbourne District General Hospital, died 24 hours after her father, Sudhir Sharma, 61, an immigration officer at Heathrow airport.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) commented: “We can see death rates for most ethnic minorities are higher compared to White ethnic groups. After accounting for where people live and social and economic factors (including people’s jobs, education and housing conditions), the gap lessens but is still significant.”
