London [UK], December 4 (ANI/Xinhua): 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.

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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.

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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. (ANI/Xinhua)

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