Many more deaths would follow before a vaccination programme began to take effect, England's chief medical officer said. Britain has the world's fifth highest toll from COVID-19 and reported a further 1,631 deaths and 20,089 cases on Tuesday. The 100,162 deaths are more than Britain's civilian toll in World War Two and twice the number killed in the 1940-41 Blitz bombing campaign. Up to Monday, a total of 6,853,327 people had received a first dose and 472,446 a second dose. New variants have also alarmed scientists, and Johnson has warned the prospect of a "vaccine-busting" variant could mean that lockdown measures are needed for longer.

Source: bd News24 January 26, 2021 17:37 UTC