UK COVID death toll reaches 95,981, nearly 5.4 million vaccinated By Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – The death toll from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom hit 95,981 on Friday after the country recorded another 1,401 fatalities, while official data showed medics set a new high for vaccinations carried out in the last 24 hours.

Britain has been hit hard by the latest wave of the pandemic, with fatalities routinely above 1,000 people a day. On Wednesday the toll climbed to a new daily high of 1,820 deaths of people who had tested positive for the disease within 28 days.

The country recorded a further 40,261 cases on Friday, up from 37,892 the day before.

However, the vaccine roll out has begun well: The data showed that 5.38 million people have now been given their first dose of the vaccine, with 409,855 receiving it in the last 24 hours, a record high so far.