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The UK has recorded another 529 coronavirus deaths and 19,609 more cases in the last 24-hour period.
Both figures represent a slight drop compared to Tuesday: the number of new reported deaths dropped by 69 and infections by 442.
But they bring the total number of deaths to 53,274 and cases to 1,430,341 since the pandemic began, according to government data.
Separate figures from UK statistical agencies show that there have been 68,000 deaths related to the virus.
England is in the midst of a national lockdown, and in Scotland Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has put 11 areas in the highest band of measurements for the first time since a regional system of restrictions was introduced, effective as of 6 p.m. Friday.
Wales has come out of its temporary “firewall”, but continues to prohibit most social mixing in people’s homes, and Northern Ireland has extended its “circuit breaker” so that there remain stricter limits on what businesses can open .
Boris Johnson was challenged in the Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday about how hard the UK has been hit by COVID-19and admitted that the country had been “seriously affected”.
Boris Johnson said ‘we’ll get through this … by next spring’
Responding to a question about why the death toll is well above the 20,000 that the government’s top scientific adviser said in March would be a “good result,” Johnson said “this is a global pandemic.”
He added: “We are sorry for every life that has been lost.
“I have no doubt that we will overcome this strongly next spring, as scientific advisers and medical officials have said.
“We have the tools to do it and we have the scientific weaponry to do it.”
News of the success of two vaccines has raised hopes that the pandemic will not last until 2021.
the Pfizer-BioNTech jab is 95% effectivesay both firms behind him, while Moderna claims your own product is 94.5% effective.
