UK records 1,248 new COVID-19 deaths, down from record level

FILE PHOTO: A NHS worker stands in an ambulance outside the Royal London Hospital, in London, Britain January 12, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Britain reported 1,248 new deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test on Thursday, down from a record high of more than 1,500 seen the previous day.

Official data also showed Britain has now administered 2,918,252 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, up by 278,943 on the previous day, and 437,977 second doses, up 9,745 on the previous day.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Chris Reese and Sam Holmes)