UK reports 28,773 new Covid-19 cases, highest since late Jan

London, July 7 Britain reported another 28,773 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest daily increase since late January, according to official figures released on Tuesday.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,958,868, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The country also recorded another 37 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 128,268. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

More than 45.4 million people in Britain have received the first jab of Covid-19 vaccine and over 33.8 million people have received two doses, the official figures showed.

Earlier on Tuesday, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that from August 16, people in England who have received two doses will no longer have to self-isolate if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

If someone gets their second dose just before, or after August 16, they'll need to wait until two weeks after they get the second jab to benefit from these new freedoms so the vaccine has time to build the maximum possible protection, he told the lawmakers in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament.

The latest data from Public Health England showed that Britain's vaccination program has saved over 27,000 lives and prevented over 7 million people from getting Covid-19. Both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine can reduce symptomatic infection by almost 80 per cent, according to Javid.

He believed "this protective wall" means the odds have shifted "in our favour, and we can look afresh at many of the measures that we've had to put in place".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that most coronavirus restrictions are set to end on July 19 as part of the final step of England's roadmap out of the lockdown, despite warnings from scientists that lifting all restrictions at this stage will increase the likelihood of dangerous variants.

The government is also looking at the self-isolation rules for international arrivals so it can remove the need for fully vaccinated individuals to isolate when they return from amber list countries, according to Javid. More details on this matter will be revealed later this week.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the US as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.