UK registers nearly 40,000 new coronavirus cases

LONDON, Nov. 11: Britain on Wednesday registered 39,329 new COVID-19 infections and 214 coronavirus related deaths, bringing the total loss of lives to 142,338 in the count, according to the latest official figures.

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

While the infections have fallen by 14.7 percent over the last seven days, the number of deaths has increased by 1.4 percent.

There are currently 8,859 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The latest data came as a new report found COVID-19 antibodies increased across Britain except for Northern Ireland, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS said in the week beginning Oct. 18, there was an increase in the percentage of people testing positive for antibodies in the most recent weeks for all nations except Northern Ireland, although estimates for Northern Ireland remain high.

In England, it is estimated that 93.1 percent of the adult population would have tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the specific virus that causes COVID-19, suggesting they had the infection in the past or have been vaccinated, the ONS figures showed.

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 19 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.