More than 24,000 coronavirus patients have died, new figures show, as the nation paid tribute to frontline workers who lost their lives during the pandemic.
Some 24,243 deaths involving Covid-19 have now been registered across the UK, according to Press Association analysis.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also said more than 4,000 deaths have occurred in care homes in England, however the true toll is thought to be far higher.
It comes as the nation held a minute’s silence to honour those who have lost their lives on the frontline following a campaign from Unison, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal of College of Nursing.
People across the UK paused for a minute in tribute to the sacrifice made by those in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to carers, cleaners, porters and bus drivers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson , who has just returned to work this week after recovering from Covid-19, joined the countrywide commemoration, Mr Hancock was confronted on LBC radio by the son of a medic who died two weeks after warning the Government about a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) .
Intisar Chowdhury, 18, the son of Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a consultant urologist at Homerton hospital in east London, asked Mr Hancock whether he regretted not taking his father’s concerns seriously and asked him to “openly acknowledge” there had been mistakes in handling the virus.
One minute silence to NHS heroes who lost lives to the Coronavirus
Answering the question, the Health Secretary said: “Intisar, I’m really sorry about your dad’s death and I have seen the comments you’ve made and what you’ve said in public and I think it’s very brave of you.
“We took very, very seriously what your father said and we’ve been working around the clock to ensure that there’s enough protective equipment.”
During the interview, Mr Hancock also suggested that some sport may be allowed to resume behind closed doors as long as it could be carried out in a “socially distanced” way.
“I know that the horse racing fraternity are… looking at how they can do socially-distant, behind closed doors horse racing,” he said.
“I think that these are important things to explore and then to tackle the practical questions that they raise.”
He added: “I do think it’s doable but a lot of work needs to be done to find a way to make it happen.”
The Health Secretary also said he does not think there is “lockdown fatigue” or an appetite for an exit route among the public.
“If you look at surveys of the public, if you talk to members of the public, if you look at how much the public are following the measures, the public are following the lockdown brilliantly,” he said.
“There’s a media debate about it and I understand that.
“But actually the proportion of the public who support the lockdown remains absolutely."
The comments were made as the NHS prepares to resume key non-coronavirus services, including the most urgent cancer care, over fears thousands of patients could be having their illnesses made worse or missed altogether.
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Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist and dean at the University of Buckingham medical school, said the NHS must get going again on heart and cancer care, adding there was a need to avoid a “catastrophe” on cancer.
