Another 5,693 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 434,969, according to official figures released Sunday.

The coronavirus-related deaths rose by 17 to 41,988, the official data showed.

The latest figures were revealed as three more counties in Wales are to be put into local lockdown, affecting more than 360,000 people.

The new restrictions in Neath Port Talbot, Vale of Glamorgan and Torfaen will take effect from 6:00 p.m. BST (1700 GMT) on Monday, meaning half of Welsh local authority areas will soon be under specialized measures.

The measures include residents not being allowed to enter or leave these areas without a reasonable excuse and a ban on the mix of different households indoors.

More than 15.6 million people, about a quarter of Britain's population, were already set to be under local lockdown by Sunday evening, prior to the announcement of the three new Welsh counties, Sky News reported.

Meanwhile, Scotland has seen a sharp spike in infections among teenagers. More than 43 percent of the positive cases detected on Thursday were in the 15-19 age group, according to data published by Public Health Scotland.

Among the outbreaks in Scotland, 600 students have been isolating at the University of Glasgow. Infections were also reported at universities in Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

In England, some 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University were told to stay in their rooms for 14 days after 127 tested positive for coronavirus.

British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has defended students going back to university in England.

"Young people have paid a huge price during this crisis and I think it is only fair to try and get them back -- we have got clear guidelines for them to follow," Dowden told the BBC.

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

The British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said Monday that it is possible that some vaccine could be available in small amounts later this year, but it is more likely that a vaccine will be available early next year, although that is not guaranteed.

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