UK Department of Health Records Another 17,540 Coronavirus Cases, 77 Further Deaths

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2020) A further 17,540 new cases of the novel coronavirus were recorded over the last 24 hours in the United Kingdom, taking the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 561,815, the UK Department of Health and Social Care reported on Thursday.

The daily official figures also showed that the country's death toll now stands at 42,592, after another 77 people died within 28 days of their first positive test result for COVID-19.

The number of daily new coronavirus cases has set a record following several days of confusion, as around 16,000 cases were missed between September 25 and October 2 from the government's COVID-19 dashboard due to a technical problem.

The UK has also seen a spike in the number of coronavirus patients in hospital beds, which now stands at 3,412, compared to 2,994 on Wednesday.

Amid UK media reports of an alleged new three-tier system for restrictions to be introduce starting next week, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC broadcaster on Thursday that the government was considering "what steps to take," and that precise measures would be announced in due time.