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The UK has seen its largest daily increase in Covid-19 cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday (local time) the British government reported another 36,804 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
That broke a record set Sunday, when just under 36,000 cases were reported, according to Sky News.
The British government also announced 691 additional deaths on Tuesday, which occurred within 28 days of a positive test.
The increase in cases occurs when a new variant of the coronavirus circulates in the United Kingdom.
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The variant, detected mainly in London and the south-east of England in recent weeks, has raised concern around the world due to signs that it could spread more easily.
While there is no indication that it causes a more serious illness, as a result numerous countries in Europe and beyond have restricted travel from the UK.
Alberto Pezzali / AP
Tough new restrictions have been put in place in London and other parts of England to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said he is confident that the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine will work against the new UK variant.
However, more studies are needed to be completely sure, said CEO Ugur Sahin.
“Scientifically, it is very likely that the immune response of this vaccine can also cope with the new variants of the virus.
Andreas Arnold / AP
Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, says he is confident that his company’s vaccine will work against the new variant of the virus.
“But we will know only if the experiment is done and we will need about two weeks from now to get the data,” he said.
“The probability that our vaccine will work … is relatively high.”
If the vaccine needs to be adjusted for the new variant, the company could do so in about six weeks, Sahin said, although regulators may have to approve the changes before the injections can be used.
Alberto Pezzali / AP
The UK has been subjected to travel bans as a result of the new strain of the virus.
The first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has already been given to more than half a million people in the UK.
Things and AP
