UK records another 16,298 new coronavirus cases with 504 deaths

Another 16,298 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,690,432, according to official figures released Friday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 504 to 60,617, the data showed.

Earlier Friday, the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) announced that Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, known as the R number, has dropped to between 0.8 and 1.0, its lowest level since August.

If the figure is above one, it means the virus can grow exponentially.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the British Office for National Statistics showed that the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 has decreased in all regions in England except the North East.

A new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions, which put about 98 percent of England into the highest Tier 2 and 3, has replaced the month-long national lockdown in England which ends Wednesday.

Under the new system, shops will be allowed to re-open across England, giving a Christmas bonanza to the struggling retail sector, but all bars and restaurants in the toughest Tier 3 areas will remain closed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.