LONDON, Oct.20 (Xinhua) – An additional 49,139 people in the United Kingdom have tested positive for COVID-19, the largest single-day increase since lockdown rules in England ended three months ago, according to official figures released today.
For the eighth consecutive day, more than 40,000 new cases were registered in the United Kingdom, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,589,737.
In addition, the country reported another 179 deaths related to the coronavirus to reach a total of 139,031. These figures include only deaths that occurred within 28 days of a first positive test.
There are currently 7,891 hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted there will be no further national lockdown after a National Health Service (NHS) leader warned that “Plan B” must be implemented immediately of restrictions due to the coronavirus to avoid “a winter crisis”.
The executive director of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, urged the government to reimpose certain measures, including the mandatory use of masks in public places, and told Sky News that “the overwhelming evidence indicates that we have to act.”
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said Downing Street “keeps a close eye” on the latest statistics, but noted that the levels of cases, hospitalizations and deaths “still broadly match” the models produced by the Government a few months ago.
“The vaccination program will continue to be our first line of defense, along with new treatments, testing and public health recommendations,” the spokesperson said.
More than 86 per cent of people over the age of 12 in the UK have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 79 per cent have received two doses, according to the most recent figures.
To bring life back to normal, countries like the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are in a race against time to distribute coronavirus vaccines. The end
