LONDON, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Another 39,036 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 2,188,587, according to official figures released on Thursday.

Another 574 people have died within 28 days of first positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 69,625, the data showed.

Some 173,875 people received a positive result on Dec. 10-16 in England, which is the highest weekly total of positive coronavirus cases since the Test and Trace scheme began in May, according to figures from the National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace.

Almost two million people were tested at least once in England during that period, increasing by 12 percent over the previous week.

Regarding vaccination, some 616,933 people in Britain have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine between on Dec. 8-20, according to figures released on Thursday by the government.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced the new Tier Four restrictions for London and other parts of England to combat an alarming surge in infections linked to a new virulent strain, which is said to be about 70 percent more transmissible.

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.