Another 18,447 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,849,403, according to official figures released Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 144 to 64,170, the data showed.
Earlier Sunday, NHS (National Health Service) Providers, which represents health trusts in England, urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a letter to exercise "extreme caution" when reviewing the coronavirus tiers system.
NHS chiefs said that areas which need to be moved into the highest Tier 3 should be done so "as soon as this is needed, without any delay".
Health workers are "really worried" as hospitals are facing a difficult period due to a surge in COVID-19 patients, NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson told Sky News.
"Any extra social contact equals virus spread," Hopson said.
His remarks came ahead of the relaxation of restriction rules for Christmas, between Dec. 23 to 27, allowing up to three households to get together in homes and places of worship.
"We all want to get together, but we need to ensure we look at the evidence," he said. "Although we've made some good progress... the reality is the progress we've made as a whole is at the lowest end of expectations."
"We've got to keep going with these tough restrictions over winter," he said. "We cannot take risks."