United Kingdom Reports 53,285 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours, Fourth Consecutive Day With Over 50,000 Coronavirus Infections; Tally Crosses 2.5 Million-Mark

London, January1: The United Kingdom on Friday reported over 50,000 coronavirus cases. It the fourth consecutive day when the number of cases crossed the 50,000-mark. A total of 53,285 people were tested positive for COVID-19 in Britain on the first day of the year.  Since December 25, over 250,000 more people tested positive for the deadly virus.

On Friday, 613 more people succumbed to COVID-19. There has been a rise of around 63 percent in daily case count in a week. Notably, infection rates in lower-tier areas of the country increased rapidly in the past seven days. Health Secretary Matt Hancock will soon announce the areas where more restrictions will be imposed to curb the infection. Pfizer, Moderna Testing Their COVID-19 Vaccines Against UK Coronavirus Strain: Report.

Hancock had also urged people to stay at home in the year. Around 40percent of people in the country, including its capital London are currently in tier four. Hancock toll BBC that the tier system has been imposed in the country as not all areas required lockdown. New Strain of COVID-19 Spread in Next Few Weeks 'Inevitable', Says UK's Chief Scientific Advisor During Boris Johnson's Press Briefing.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom have crossed 2,500.000 until now. The death toll due to the deadly virus has also reached 74,000-mark so far. Notably, COVID-19 infections increased over the Christmas holiday. More cases of new coronavirus variant are being reported in the UK.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2021 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).