UK's death toll from coronavirus rises to 1,019

By Hasan Esen

LONDON (AA) - With 260 new deaths in the U.K. in the past 24 hours, the death toll in the country has reached 1,019, according to data released by the Department of Health on Saturday.

The British Department of Health reported a total of 120,776 tests have been conducted so far, with 17,089 people tested positive, 2,510 of them in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Alister Jack, secretary of state for Scotland, announced he has put himself in isolation after experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock both announced that they had tested positive for the virus.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows over 618,000 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll above 28,800 and over 135,700 recoveries.