The UK registered 37,243 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 9,637,190, according to the latest official figures. The country also reported a further 214 coronavirus-related deaths, reports said.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stood at 143,159. These death toll only includes people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
There are currently 8,696 patients in hospital with Covid-19. The latest data came as a research has found the NHS is facing the "most difficult winter in its history," with almost 90 percent of hospital trust leaders feeling "extremely concerned."
NHS Providers, which carried out the survey, said that while cases of Covid-19 are "well below" their peak in January, some trusts are "beyond full stretch."
It is urging the government to offer cash bonuses of about 500 pounds to stop social care staff leaving for jobs in "hospitality, supermarkets, or online firms such as Amazon."
Around 88 per cent of people aged 12 and over in the UK have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 80 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures indicated. Nearly 23 per cent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Global caseload tops 254.3 mn
The global coronavirus caseload has topped 254.3 million while the deaths have surged to more than 5.10 million and vaccinations to over 7.54 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload stands at 254,317,843. The death toll and the total number of vaccine doses administered stood at 5,114,140 and 7,542,655,690, respectively.
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 47,308,698 and 765,762, according to the CSSE. The second worst hit country in terms of cases is India (34,456,401 infections and 463,852 deaths), followed by Brazil (21,965,684 infections and 611,478 deaths).
The other worst countries with over 5 million cases are the UK (9,686,363), Russia (9,686,363), Turkey (8,459,089), France (7,413,180), Iran (6,051,642), Argentina (5,308,781), Spain (5,061,045), Germany (5,144,827) and Colombia (5,036,287), the CSSE figures showed.
Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Mexico (291,204), Russia (253,009), Peru (200,695), Indonesia (143,685), the UK (143,598), Italy (132,893), Colombia (127,865), Iran (128,406), France (119,225) and Argentina (116,294).
(With inputs from IANS)
