Like many countries in Europe, Britain is in a state of virtual lockdown, with pubs, restaurants and nearly all shops closed, and social gatherings banned.
Britons have been told to stay at home unless it is absolutely essential to venture out. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is still in self-isolation, and a number of senior ministers have been among those who have tested positive for the virus.
But despite a nationwide lockdown introduced on March 24, deaths caused by COVID-19 have not eased but sharply risen.
On Saturday, the government said the death toll of those who had tested positive for the virus rose by 708 in 24 hours to 4,313, with a 5-year-old among the dead, along with at least 40 who had no known previous health conditions.
Meanwhile, health officials have cautioned that high fatalities were expected for at least another week or two even if people complied with strict isolation measures.
A slow government response, an already stretched health service and a severe shortage of testing have contributed to the country's current woes, experts say.
Experts suggest that since Prime Minister Boris Johnson's initial approach to coronavirus was to adopt the strategy of "Herd Immunity" and the government did not change course until less than two weeks ago, the UK only started to speed up testing when it was too late to secure the supplies it needed.
Downing Street was reported to only send out emergency requests to research institutions for testing equipment on March 22, some two months after the first case was confirmed in the UK.
"Everyone in the world wants those same reagents and the suppliers can only supply a certain amount," Alex Blakemore, head of life sciences at Brunel University London told the Sunday Times. "We are now in competition with the rest of the world ... and other people have already bought up a lot of stock."
On top of the ill-prepared supplies of medical equipment, London's slow response may have also contributed to the further spread of the coronavirus as only less than two weeks ago many people were still out in the streets as usual.
A man wears a protective mask as he walks into Oxford Circus underground station in London, Britain, March 13, 2020. /Reuters
What also poses a significant challenge to the fight against COVID-19 is the strain on Britain's National Health Service (NHS), which for years had its budget cut and is now plagued by an acute shortage of medical professionals, hospital beds and what is now most coveted in every part of the world – ventilators.
The NHS now has access to 8,175 ventilators but the government believes up to 30,000 could be needed and has enlisted manufacturers in a wartime-style effort to boost stocks to at least 61,000. Airbus and Rolls-Royce are among the companies that are working to speed up production of ventilators.
But sources told the Guardian that although cooperation within the British industry is unprecedented, the target is highly unlikely to be met. Ventilator Challenge UK, the consortium comprising all manufacturers charged with the daunting task, said it would take weeks to reach maximum production levels due to the immense technical and logistical challenges involved.
China has sent 300 ventilators to the UK and they arrived on Saturday.
The shortfall of coronavirus testing is another significant issue that the UK is facing.
While Germany has been testing about 500,000 people a week, Britain's current capacity is just 12,750 a day, a figure the government said it was aiming to double by mid-April.
Britain's health minister promised a tenfold increase in the number of daily tests for coronavirus by the end of the month after the government faced criticism for failing to roll out mass checks for health workers and the public.
Related Reading: UK to ramp up coronavirus testing amid growing criticism
Queen to address the nation
Queen Elizabeth II will call on Britons to show the same resolve as their forebears and take on the challenge and disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak with good-humored resolve when she makes an extremely rare address to rally the nation on Sunday.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves after the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, March 9, 2020. /Reuters
In what will only be her fifth special televised message to the country during her 68 years on the throne, the queen will also thank healthcare workers on the front line and recognize the pain already suffered by some families.
"I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any," the 93-year-old monarch will say, according to extracts released by Buckingham Palace.
"That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country."
The queen usually only broadcasts to the nation with her annual televised Christmas Day message; this special address will be only the fifth she has made.
The last was in 2012 following celebrations to mark her 60th year as queen. That came a decade after the preceding broadcast which followed the death of her mother, the Queen Mother, in 2002 when she thanked Britons for their messages of condolence.
She also gave an address at the start of the Gulf War in 1991, and most famously, delivered a somber live broadcast after the death of her daughter-in-law Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 amid a national outpouring of grief and criticism of the royal family's response.
(With input from agencies)
(Cover image: A security guard wearing a face mask stands outside Windsor Castle as the number of coronavirus cases grows around the world, Britain, March 17, 2020. /Reuters)