LONDON, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Britain registered 43,676 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 9,974,843, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The country also reported a further 149 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 144,286, with 8,088 COVID-19 patients still in hospital.

In a major shift, the European Union's public health agency is now recommending that booster vaccines should be considered for all adults.

"Available evidence emerging from Israel and the UK shows a significant increase in protection against infection and severe disease following a booster dose in all age groups in the short term," Sky News quoted the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) as saying.

However, Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s chief scientist, said the priority should remain inoculating all adults and the most vulnerable groups first.

More than 88 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 80 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 27 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

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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