LONDON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Another 6,035 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,176,554, according to official figures released Sunday.

The country also reported another 144 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 122,849. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The latest figures were revealed as more than 20 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the latest development in the country's vaccine rollout as a "magnificent achievement".

"I want to thank every single person who has come forward to get the jab because we know with increasing confidence that the jab protects you, it protects your community and it also is the route out of this for all of us," he said in a video posted on Twitter.

"There's a long way still to go but we're making big strides," he added.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

On Feb. 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown.

Schools in England will reopen from March 8 as first part of the four-step plan, which Johnson said was designed to be "cautious but irreversible".

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

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