UK records highest daily death toll since start of COVID-19

LONDON - Another 1,564 have died within 28 days of a positive test, the highest daily increase since the pandemic began in the country, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The total number of the coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 84,767, the data showed.

The previous highest daily rise of the coronavirus-related deaths was 1,325, which reported on Jan. 8.

Another 47,525 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,211,576, the figures showed.

London had the most reported deaths at 202. London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that the British capital's total number of coronavirus deaths has topped 10,000.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Wednesday that there was a "very substantial" risk of intensive care capacity in hospitals being "overtopped".

The situation was "very, very tough" in the National Health Service (NHS) and the staff were under "colossal" pressure, Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee.

The prime minister once again appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules which require Britons to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the pandemic began in the country.

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.