UK records another 19,202 coronavirus cases, 1,322 deaths

Another 19,202 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,871,825, according to official figures released Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

The country also reported another 1,322 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 109,335. These figures only include those of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain would be going ahead with its plan for quarantine hotels for people arriving from high-risk countries.

However, it is "not practical" to completely close Britain's borders given the amount of medicines and food imported into the country, Johnson told lawmakers as he faces calls for tougher restrictions to prevent new coronavirus variants entering Britain.

Meanwhile, Britain is stepping up its effort to speed up coronavirus vaccine rollout to bring the pandemic under control.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 10 million people in Britain have been given the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, which means 15 percent of Britain's population have had their first coronavirus jab.

"This is a hugely significant milestone in our national effort against this virus. Every jab makes us all a bit safer -- I want to thank everyone playing their part," Hancock said.

Also Wednesday, the team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said a vaccine to tackle the coronavirus variants could be ready to deploy by October.

Andy Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccine group, said that the team is already planning to tweak the vaccine, adding it is a relatively quick process and would only need small trials to be done before the rollout.

Britain aims to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to all adults by autumn.