COVID-19: 28,680 new cases recorded across UK

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - The UK registered 28,680 more cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, along with 1,239 deaths, according to official figures.

With the new additions, the total case tally in the country rose to 3,715,054 and the overall death toll to 101,887, showed the government's COVID-19 website, which collects data and statistics on the state of the pandemic in the UK.

On Jan. 22-28, positive tests for the virus rose by 200,089, representing a decrease of 24.95% compared to the previous week.

The number of tests conducted has risen, amounting to 771,710 as of Jan. 27, a 3.2% increase compared to the previous seven days with 4,102,883 tests administered between Jan. 21 and 27.

First-dose vaccinations have increased exponentially since their rollout last month, with second doses rising steadily. As of Wednesday, 7,447,199 have been given their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, with 476,298 having received their second.

On Tuesday, the number of deaths caused by the pandemic surpassed the 100,000 mark, making the death toll in the UK the fifth highest in the world.

The government has introduced new travel restrictions for arrivals from 30 so-called "red list" countries. Travelers entering the UK from these countries will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine of 10 days in government-provided accommodations.

​​​​​​​