More than 1,500 UK coronavirus deaths recorded in new daily high

A further 1,564 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, the highest number of UK deaths reported on a single day since the outbreak began.

The previous highest daily toll was on Friday, when 1,325 people were reported to have died. The latest deaths bring the UK’s total number to 84,767, according to the government.

However, the latest figures suggest more than 100,000 people have died of coronavirus, based on the latest statistics for people who died with Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate combined with deaths occurring within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.

Responding to the government’s daily reported deaths total, Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: "With each passing day, more and more people are tragically losing their lives to this terrible virus, and today we have reported the highest number of deaths on a single day since the pandemic began."

She added there had been "more deaths in the second wave than the first" although did not provide any definition of either time period.

The government also said a further 47,525 new coronavirus cases were reported as of 9am on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 3,211,576.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have been given a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine stood at 2,639,309 million, up 207,661 from Tuesday's figures. So far 428,232 second doses have been administered in the UK.

It comes as Boris Johnson has announced a ramping up vaccination with a new round-the-clock service.

The prime minister said the process of protecting people from coronavirus is already going "exceptionally fast" but "at the moment the limit is on supply" of the vaccine.

“We will be going 24/7 as soon as we can,” he told MPs in the House of Commons.

Mr Johnson said that further details of accelerating of the rollout would come from the health secretary, Matt Hancock, “in due course.”

At PMQ’s, Mr Johnson said: "At the moment the limit is on supply, we have a huge network - 233 hospitals, 1,000 GP surgeries, 200 pharmacies and 50 mass vaccination centres and they are going ... exceptionally fast."

The ramping up of the vaccination programme comes amid severe pressure on hospitals and rising infection and death rates.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer questioned if the current restrictions were “tough enough” and said Mr Johnson was “slow to act.”

Mr Johnson retorted that he would not hesitate to impose tougher measures if necessary.

Meanwhile, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said more than 10,000 Londoners have now died with Covid-19.

"Many of the families will be listening to this programme now and they're in my thoughts and prayers... it's heartbreaking it's come to this," Mr Khan told LBC.

"This epidemic is far worse than it was in spring, the pressures on the NHS are far higher, yet the lockdown measures are much lighter."

Mr Khan said he and the chair of London Councils, Georgie Gould, have written to the Prime Minister "pleading with him to have additional restrictions on our city".