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UK records another 37,489 coronavirus cases

Europe Materials 7 September 2021 22:28 (UTC +04:00)

Another 37,489 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 7,056,106, according to official figures released Tuesday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The country also recorded another 209 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 133,489. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The latest data came as the British government has confirmed that the National Health Service (NHS) will receive an extra 5.4 billion pounds over the next 6 months to support its response to COVID-19 and help tackle waiting lists.

The British government has been warned that 14 million people could be on NHS waiting lists by next autumn, due to fears of a hidden backlog of patients who are still yet to come forward for treatment, without extra action being taken.

Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the additional funding was "critical" to ensure the NHS "has what it needs to manage the ongoing pandemic and helping to tackle waiting lists."

Meanwhile, nearly 89 percent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 80 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

"It is a phenomenal achievement that four in five adults across the UK have now received both COVID-19 vaccines, which have built a wall of defence around the UK and are allowing us to live safely with this virus," said Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

More than half of all teenagers aged 16 to 17 in England have already received their first dose, just over four weeks after the green light was given for this age group to be offered the vaccine.

It comes as a new campaign has been launched on social media to encourage more vaccine uptake among younger adults and children eligible for the jab.

The chief medical officers of Britain's all four nations are reviewing the wider benefits of vaccinating healthy 12 to 15-year-olds, such as minimising school absences, after Britain's vaccine advisory body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), declined to recommend a widespread rollout to the age group on health grounds alone.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.

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