Another 55,761 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,316,019, according to official figures released Friday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Another 1,280 have died within 28 days of a positive test. The total number of the coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 87,295, the data showed.
The latest figures were revealed as a research by The Guardian newspaper showed Friday that two-thirds of all National Health Service (NHS) trusts across England were treating more coronavirus patients last week than they did at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.
According to The Guardian, a total of 134 of 207 trusts in England, or 65 percent, had more coronavirus patients on at least one day last week than at their first-wave peak.
Rob Harwood, the chair of the British Medical Association consultants committee, said, "These statistics drive home what a perilous situation the NHS is in, and the impact on patients and staff cannot be underestimated."
"This is like nothing we have experienced before," he told The Guardian.
Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, is estimated at between 1.2 and 1.3, compared with last week's one and 1.4, the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said Friday.
If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.
According to SAGE, the R number varies in the country. It has gone down slightly in London, the South East and South West, as well as the North East and Yorkshire, but it has risen slightly in the East of England, Midlands and North West.
"The latest figures show that we need to remain vigilant to keep this virus under control, to protect the NHS and save lives," SAGE said.
England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.