A woman wearing a face mask is seen in a bus in London, Britain, Jan. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Another 1,820 people in Britain have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, the highest number of deaths reported on a single day since the outbreak began in the country, according to official figures released Wednesday.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 93,290, the data showed.
The latest figures came one day after Britain's coronavirus death toll surpassed the grim milestone of 90,000 on Tuesday.
Another 38,905 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,505,754, the data showed Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, the British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said the ongoing national lockdown must stay in place for the short term amid surging infections.
It is "not the time" now to consider lifting the lockdown, Vallance told Sky News, adding that some restrictions, including wearing masks, especially indoors, may be needed next winter.
Vallance also said the National Health Service (NHS) is under "enormous pressure" and in some cases "it looks like a war zone".
"It may not look like it when you go for a walk in the park, but when you go into a hospital, this is very, very bad at the moment with enormous pressure and in some cases, it looks like a war zone in terms of the things that people are having to deal with," Vallance said.
England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
