LONDON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Another 1,907 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,418,530, according to official figures released Saturday.
The country also reported another seven coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,524. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
More than 34.3 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
Earlier Saturday, a government advisory scientist said warned that Britons need to be "patient for a short period" ahead of the next planned relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in England on May 17.
There is "very good news" in the progress of the anti-pandemic efforts, but there is still a "potential for that spark to reignite" and cause infections to rise, professor Mark Wolport, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told the BBC.
It is important not to repeat the mistakes of the past in reopening social life too soon as many people were still not vaccinated yet, said Wolport, as the government is facing calls to open the economy even sooner.
In England, restaurants and pubs are expected be resume indoor service on May 17 and most rules on gathering outdoors are expected to be lifted.
The British government's four-step plan is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June.
Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil and India, and the third wave of pandemic on the European continent.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
