The UK registers a further 15,539 coronavirus cases with 397 deaths
London: Another 15,539 people in the UK have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,705,971 according to official figures.
The number of deaths from coronavirus in Britain has increased by 397 to 61,014, the data showed on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.
The figures came as Britain’s Chief Medical Officers warned on Saturday that the coming winter would be “particularly tough” for the health service due to the coronavirus, despite the hope brought by vaccines.
“While the very welcome news about vaccines means that we can look to 2021 with more optimism, the use of vaccines will have only a marginal impact in reducing the number of people entering healthcare with COVID over the next three months,” said the Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said in a letter to colleagues.
The experts urged the public to show restraint and self-discipline, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
England is currently under a new three-pronged system of coronavirus restrictions that has replaced the month-long national lockdown in England that ended Wednesday.
Under the new system, shops across England will be allowed to reopen, giving a Christmas bonanza to the struggling retail trade, but all bars and restaurants in the toughest Tier 3 areas will remain closed. The system placed about 98 percent of England in the top levels 2 and 3.
Between 23 and 27 December, a maximum of three different households may meet in a private home, a place of worship or public outdoor spaces.
To bring life back to normal, countries like Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
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