UK records another 1,245 coronavirus deaths

Britain reported another 1,245 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total death toll in the country to 104,371, according to official figures released Friday, reported Xinhua.

These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Earlier Friday, official data showed that another 29,079 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 3,772,813.

The latest figures were revealed as Britain is stepping up its efforts to speed up the vaccine roll-out to bring the pandemic under control.

More than 7.8 million people in Britain have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to latest official figures. Britain aims to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.

Also Friday, the British government's Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) announced that Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, known as the R number, is estimated between 0.7 and 1.1.

An R number of between 0.7 and 1.1 means on average every 10 people with the virus will infect between 7 and 11 others. If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics said Friday that the number of people infected with coronavirus remained high in the week to Jan. 23, with one in 55 people in England, one in 70 in Wales, one in 100 in Scotland and one in 60 in Northern Ireland testing positive for the virus respectively.

Britain is the first European nation and the fifth country in the world to pass the grim landmark of 100,000 deaths, following the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in Britain and some other countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 236 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Jan. 26.