Another 21,363 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,390,681, according to official figures released Monday.
The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 213 to 52,147, the data showed.
Earlier Monday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Britons to “remain vigilant” despite looming vaccine hopes and keep abiding by the rules to curb the resurgence of coronavirus.
“Until the science can make us safe we must remain vigilant and keep following the rules that we know can keep this virus under control,” Hancock said during a press briefing at the Downing Street.
“While there is much uncertainty, we can see the candle of hope and we must do all that we can to nurture its flame… But we’re not there yet,” he said.
Also on a cautious note, Dr Susan Hopkins, the interim chief medical officer of Britain’s Test and Trace program, said the restriction rules could be tougher when England’s national lockdown ends on Dec. 2.
“We will have to think about strengthening them in order to get us through the winter months until the vaccine is available for everyone,” Hopkins said.
England is currently under a month-long national lockdown, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.
Britain is the first European nation to record more than 50,000 coronavirus deaths. It is the fifth country in the world to hit the tragic milestone, following the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
