UK reports highest daily rise of COVID cases since mid-February

LONDON - Britain has reported another 11,625 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest since mid-February, according to official figures released Tuesday.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,651,988.

The country also recorded another 27 coronavirus-related death, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 128,008. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Earlier Tuesday, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that current COVID-19 restrictions in the region will remain in place until July 19, in line with the current plan for England.

Sturgeon had hoped to move Scotland to Level Zero of its five-tier system on June 28, but the plan was delayed after a 40 percent increase in cases.

Meanwhile, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said England was "on track" to remove all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on July 19.

Experts are working on plans to allow people who are fully vaccinated to travel to amber list countries without having to quarantine on their return, Hancock told Sky News.

More than 43.1 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 31.4 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

Recent data published by Public Health England showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 percent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalisation after two doses.

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.