Britain has reported another 5,274 COVID-19 cases in the past 24-hour period, the highest number of daily infections since late March, according to the official data released Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,499,878.
Britain also recorded another 18 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 127,812. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
The latest data came as Public Health England (PHE) said Thursday that the variant of coronavirus first identified in India, known as Delta, is now the "dominant" strain in Britain.
The number of cases of the Delta variant has risen by more than 5,000 since last week to 12,431, according to the data from Public Health England (PHE) released Thursday.
PHE officials said that the Delta variant has now overtaken the Kent variant, known as Alpha, as the most dominant in Britain.
There is "early evidence to suggest there may be increased risk of hospitalisation" from Delta, but further data are needed to confirm this, according to PHE.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that more than three-quarters of adults in Britain have now had their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
More than 39.7 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
The British government is facing increasing pressure to delay the final step of unlocking restrictions in England on June 21 due to concerns over the spread of the Delta variant.
From May 17, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children's play areas.
People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of green-list countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.
The British government's roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21. It is understood that a final decision on the planned easing of lockdown will not be made until June 14.
Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.