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There have been another 16,170 coronavirus cases and 648 deaths recorded in the UK in the last 24 hours.
The latest government figures show the total number of coronavirus cases in the UK to 1,643,086 – and the total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test at 59.699.
It marks an increase from Tuesday’s numbers, when 13,430 cases and 603 deaths were recorded.
Meanwhile, there have been another 1,480 coronavirus cases in Wales, bringing the total number to 82,489.
Public Health Wales reported an additional 51 deaths, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 2,614.
Live coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world
It comes when the UK became the first country in the world to pass the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use.
The government says the jab, which received a green light from the independent health regulator MHRA, will be implemented in a few days.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there is a commitment that all four UK nations will start vaccinations at the same time “early next week”.
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Vaccine ‘a triumph for all who believe in science’
Nursing home residents and their caregivers are first on the list to take a hit.
Additional figures showed that another 372 people who tested positive for coronavirus died at a hospital in England, bringing the total number of reported hospital deaths to 41,310, NHS England said on Wednesday.
The patients were between 19 and 103 years old. All but the 17, ranging in age from 19 to 93, had known underlying diseases.
The deaths occurred between April 7 and December 1.
Comparison of COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the UK
And separate figures released by UK statistical agencies for deaths in which the coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, along with additional data on deaths in recent days, suggested that there have now been 75,000 deaths in the United Kingdom.
Shoppers flocked to the main streets of England on Wednesday as the four-week shutdown ended.
Much of England is now under Level 2 and 3 of the new COVID-19 restrictions that limit social contact between households but allow non-essential shops to reopen.
Ministers have refused to rule out a third confinement, and they have said that getting back to normal depends on a successful vaccination program.
