London, June 9 (RHC)-- The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed infections climbed by only 55 on Monday to 40,597, marking the lowest rise of fatalities since a lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in March, according to official government figures released on Monday.

A broader measure of the British death toll from the disease, which includes suspected cases, indicates that the country’s fatalities are likely to be above 50,000, according to official data sources tallied by Reuters.

That makes the United Kingdom the second worst-hit country in the world in terms of the number of deaths resulting from the disease, after the United States.

The country’s Health Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock, meanwhile, launched a study on Tuesday to find out the prevalence and spread of the coronavirus among school children and teachers in England in a bid to help inform the phased reintroduction of education after a lengthy national lockdown.

However, the decision to gradually re-open schools has divided opinion, with ministers warning of the need for caution to prevent a second wave of the epidemic.