Britain records another 9,765 coronavirus cases, 230 deaths

London, Feb 16 Another 9,765 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,047,843, according to official figures released.

The country also reported another 230 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 117,396. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

The latest figures were revealed as Britain has hit its target to complete the vaccination of the top priority groups, which cover 15 million people, by mid-February.

More than 15.3 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted Sunday that the government would "not rest" until the vaccine was offered to all over-50s by the end of April. Britain aims to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.

Earlier Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government will be "very prudent" in easing coronavirus restrictions to ensure a "cautious but irreversible" progress.

"We've got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious but irreversible," Johnson said on his plan for easing the current lockdown, which is expected to be announced on February 22.

The road-map exiting the lockdown is expected to include the earliest possible dates for reopening schools and different sectors of the economy, according to Johnson.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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.

( With inputs from IANS )