The United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday (local time) reported no new daily COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, for the first time since last year.
An official data released by the UK said that the figure is unprecedented since July 30 last year as no one was reported to have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. This comes amid concerns in the country over the fast-spreading Delta variant, which was first detected in India and now accounts for the majority of new cases in Britain, reported euronews.
After weeks of decline, new cases were on the rise with an additional 3,165 infections reported on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative total to 4.5 million since the pandemic began.
Over the past seven days, new infections increased by 31.9 percent, according to the UK government’s coronavirus dashboard.
British health authorities are speeding up the vaccination race to contain the new variant. Current vaccines appear to be effective against it, reported euronews.
The UK is one of the world’s leading countries for coronavirus vaccinations. About three-quarters of British adults have had one dose, while almost half have received both doses.
Yet many experts are urging the UK government to postpone plans to lift remaining restrictions on June 21, warning more people need to be inoculated before measures can be eased safely, reported euronews.
The government said that it will announce on June 14 whether the easing of restrictions will be delayed.
The UK is the European country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths, with a total 127,782 lives lost to the pandemic. (ANI)