The Good Morning Britain host ripped into care minister Helen Whately as she tried to defend why so few of them have been tested so far – amid reports that up to 4,000 could have died already.
Experts think that many more people have died out of hospital than the 217 that have been reported so far – as those figures have a 10-day lag.
Piers told Mrs Whately this morning: “Is it true that 4,000 people have died?
“It’s not a question of how how hard you are working. stop telling us how hard you are working. Is it true 4,000 people have died?”
But she added: “I wasnt talking about me personally, I was talking about care providers, working to make sure we are doing everything…”
Piers then interrupted her again to ask: “I want to show you this.”
But she was unable to see when Piers showed her the Daily Mail’s front page.
“I’m really sorry, I can’t see,” she said.
“I’m showing viewers a Daily Mail front page, I don’t know why you’re laughing. Why are you laughing?”
“I’m sorry, my reaction was because you said, I’ll show you something, but I can’t see what you’re showing.”
She went on to explain how the ONS data was just up until April the 3rd, but admitted that the true number could be even higher.
“I dont think it’s appropriate for me to give you a ballpark figure as something as serious as this,” she said.
