UK reports another 48,161 daily coronavirus cases

LONDON, July 19: Britain has reported another 48,161 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 5,433,939, according to official figures released Sunday.
       
The country also recorded another 25 coronavirus-related deaths, with the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now standing at 128,708. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
       
Nearly 88 percent of adults in Britain have received the first jab of COVID-19 vaccine and more than 68 percent have received two doses, according to the latest figures.
   
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak are self-isolating after contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid who tested positive for COVID-19, BBC reported on Sunday.
       
The latest development came as most COVID-19 restrictions in England are set to end on Monday as part of the final step or Step Four of England's roadmap out of the lockdown. Scientists have warned that lifting all restrictions at this stage could increase likelihood of dangerous variants.
   
With the surging number of the COVID-19 cases, the government is boosting funding for relevant research.
       
An extensive program of 15 new research studies, backed by government funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will allow researchers across Britain to draw together their expertise from analyzing long COVID-19 among those suffering long-term effects and the health and care professionals supporting them, Britain's Department of Health and Social Care announced on Sunday.
       
The latest research shows that although many people make a full recovery following COVID-19, a significant proportion of people continue to experience chronic symptoms for months.
       
These studies aim to help those people affected return to their normal lives, according to the department. "This new research is absolutely essential to improve diagnosis and treatments and will be life-changing for those who are battling long-term symptoms of the virus," Javid said in a statement.
       
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.