UK records highest daily coronavirus-related death toll since March

LONDON - Britain reported another 174 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest number of fatalities recorded in one day since 175 were recorded on March 12, according to official figures released Tuesday.

The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 131,854. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Another 30,838 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,555,200.

Meanwhile, data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that there were 652 coronavirus-related deaths registered in Britain during the week to Aug

13, the highest number since 800 fatalities were recorded in the week to March 26.

The latest data came as almost 5,000 coronavirus cases in Britain are suspected to be linked to Boardmasters music and surfing festival in Cornwall, with health officials launching an investigation.

About 4,700 people have tested positive following Boardmasters in Newquay earlier this month, with 800 thought to be living in Cornwall, but cases are spread across Britain.

While the latest figures show a significant rise on recent weeks, the number of deaths is still far below the peak from last winter thanks to the progress of the vaccine rollout.

More than 87 percent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 77 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.