UK records another 12,027 coronavirus cases, 533 deaths

Another 12,027 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,095,269, according to official figures released Friday, reported Xinhua.

The country also reported another 533 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 119,920. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Meanwhile, Britain's latest R value of COVID-19 stood at between 0.6 and 0.9, which means, on average, every 10 people infected with the virus will infect between 6 and 9 other people, according to the figures updated on Friday by the British government.

The R value, or the reproduction number, is the average number of secondary COVID-19 infections produced by a single infected person.

As for vaccination, a total of 16,875,536 people have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Thursday, the latest figures showed.

British institutions the Premier League and the Beano, much loved author, artist and illustrator Charlie Mackesy, and social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are backing a new nationwide social media campaign launched by the British government and the National Health Service (NHS) for people to show their support for the vaccine rollout.

The new initiative allows users to update their profiles with a range of specially designed profile frames and graphics. People can use these to show "I've had my vaccine" or make a pledge that "I will get my vaccine" when their time comes.

Famous faces including iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes and actor Brian Blessed are among those set to join in with the campaign.

"It's been inspiring to hear the stories of people getting their jab across all four corners of the UK and it's vital we keep up this momentum," said British Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

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. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil his "roadmap" out of lockdown on Monday.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.