The UK reported the highest number of one-day COVID-19 cases on Wednesday since the pandemic began, when the country imposed sweeping new restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.
Statistics released by the UK government showed that nearly 40,000 cases were counted on Wednesday, and 744 new deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive test, the highest number of fatalities since late April.
There have been more than 236,000 positive cases in the past seven days, an increase of more than 61 percent from the previous seven-day period.
The disturbing numbers come as the UK tries to protect its residents from a rapidly spreading new strain of COVID-19 that experts warn is more contagious than the virus that has killed people since the pandemic’s initial outbreak.
To stem the spread of the virus, the government announced on Wednesday that more parts of England would be subject to Tier 4 restrictions, the most severe in the kingdom.
The restrictions mean that residents in those areas will have to stay at home except to travel for essential work and close non-essential shops, indoor gyms and leisure facilities.
“After all the efforts we have made to fight this virus, and in many parts of the country, this virus is under control. Just as we have a tiering system that could control this virus, we’ve discovered a new, more contagious virus, one that is spreading at a dangerous rate. And I know that the vast majority of people watching today and across the country understand what we need to do together to get through this, ”Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said at a press conference.
The UK has had about 2.2 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, and more than 69,000 people have died there.