LONDON, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Another 3,398 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,480,945, according to official figures released Sunday. The country also reported another six coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,781. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

More than 39.2 million people, about three-quarters of adults in Britain, have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

Earlier Sunday, the chief of a British health association said "very, very few" coronavirus patients in hospital in England have received two coronavirus jabs, showing the vaccines provide "very high" levels of protection.

Patients tended now to be younger, which means there was a lower need for critical care, said Chris Hopson, chief of National Health Service (NHS) Providers, the membership organization for hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services that treat patients and service users in the NHS.

However, some British experts have warned that the India-related coronavirus variant could "pick up speed and become a big problem" in Britain if the country further eases its lockdown.

Britain's fight against coronavirus could turn bad "very, very quickly" unless the government acts cautiously on easing lockdown further, professor Tim Gowers from the University of Cambridge told The Guardian newspaper.

The India-related COVID variant cases have doubled in a week in England to almost 7,000, prompting concerns that the government's lockdown roadmap will be derailed.

Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.

The British government's roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21. It is understood that a final decision on the planed easing of lockdown will not be made until June 14.

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

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