London (UK), August 16: Another 26,750 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,267,437, according to official figures released Sunday.
The country also reported another 61 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,953. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
Nearly 90 percent of the adults in Britain have received a COVID-19 vaccine, while almost 77 percent have had the second jab, according to the latest figures.
All young people aged 16 to 17 in England are to be offered a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Aug. 23 to give them the vital protection provided by the vaccine before returning to school in September, the British Health and Social Secretary Sajid Javid announced Sunday.
Tens of thousands of people in this age group have already been vaccinated at local vaccination sites and walk-in centers across England, and the drive to offer a first jab by the new date will allow those teenagers in that age bracket the two weeks necessary to build maximum immunity, according to the British Department of Health and Social Care.
"This will make sure everybody has the opportunity to get vital protection before returning to college or sixth form," said Javid.
The vaccines have already saved around 84,600 lives and prevented 23.4 million infections and 66,900 hospitalizations in England up to Aug. 6, according to the latest data from Public Health England and Cambridge University.
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.
Source: Xinhua
