UK records another 44,985 new coronavirus cases

A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in London, Britain, on Oct. 23, 2021. Another 44,985 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,734,934, according to official figures released Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

LONDON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Another 44,985 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,734,934, according to official figures released Saturday.

The country also reported a further 135 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 139,461. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

There are currently 8,238 patients in hospital with COVID-19.

The latest data came as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the vaccine alone will not be enough to lift the world out of the pandemic.

Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the WHO, said: "We really have to do other measures" to recover from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Professor Stephen Reicher of the University of St Andrews warned that Britain risks "dilly-dallying into lockdown" if it does not act soon.

Speaking to Sky News, he warned that vaccines are "not quite enough" on their own, and "other protections" are needed to curb the pandemic.

Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told the BBC that he fears another "lockdown Christmas" when asked what people can expect from the holiday if government policy does not change.

However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted the current "high levels" of infection in the country are "fully in line" with predictions made earlier this year. But he said the government will "keep all measures under constant review".

The prime minister said there is "absolutely nothing to indicate" the country will enter a new lockdown this winter, although he added the government would "do whatever we have to do to protect the public".

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Wednesday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid cautioned that the coronavirus pandemic "is not over". Javid has even predicted there could be as many as 100,000 COVID cases a day heading into winter.

More than 86 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 79 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

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.