UK's coronavirus cases top 9 mn

London, Oct 31 (IANS) Another 41,278 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of infected cases in the country to 9,019,962, according to official figures released on Saturday.

The country reported a further 166 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 140,558. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, Xinhua news agency reported.

There are currently 8,983 patients in hospital with Covid-19.

The latest data came as coronavirus infections in England have increased to their highest level since the beginning of the year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Around one in 50 people had the virus in the week ending October 22, the highest level since January 2, the ONS reported.

The pandemic appears to be growing in England, as the coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the 'R number' in England is estimated to have risen to between 1.1 and 1.3.

The R number indicates the average number of people each Covid-positive person goes on to infect.

More than 86 per cent of people aged 12 and above in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 79 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures showed. Meanwhile, more than 13 per cent have received booster jabs or 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.