UK records another 20,252 coronavirus cases with 511 deaths

Another 20,252 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,473,508, according to official figures released Friday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 511 to 54,286, the data showed.

Earlier Friday, the latest data from Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that coronavirus infection rates are levelling off in England and Scotland and decreasing in Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, the statistics showed the infection rates in school-age children are still rising even though they are falling among young adults.

Meanwhile, the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) announced that Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, has dropped to between 1 and 1.1.

If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

England is currently under a month-long national lockdown until Dec. 2, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia, and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )