UK registers over 40,000 new coronavirus cases

LONDON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain on Friday registered 40,375 new COVID-19 infections and 145 coronavirus related deaths, bringing the total loss of lives to 142,678, according to the latest official figures.

The death toll only includes people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The infections have fallen by 6.5 percent over the last seven days, and the number of deaths has decreased by 8.9 percent.

There are currently 8,652 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The latest data came as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned about the rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe.

"I'm seeing the storm clouds gathering over parts of the European continent and I've got to be absolutely frank with people, we've been here before and we remember what happened when a wave starts rolling in," Johnson told Sky News.

"What I'm saying today is the urgency of getting that booster jab is more evident than ever," Johnson said.

"What I'm also saying is if we don't do it fast enough we can see the potential risks to the state of the pandemic in what's happening in other parts of Europe," he added.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 decreased in England in the week ending Nov. 6.

The ONS estimated one in 60 people in the community in England had COVID-19 in the week ending Nov. 6.

More than 87 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 indicate. More than 20 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

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.