Another 37,892 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,543,646, according to official figures released Thursday.

Another 1,290 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. The total number of the coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 94,580, the data showed.

The latest figures were revealed as the country is stepping up efforts to vaccinate the people in a bid to bring the pandemic under control.

Almost 5 million people have been given a first dose of a COVID vaccine with a total of 363,508 first vaccinations being administered Wednesday, the highest daily figure to date.

Earlier Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it is "too early to say when restrictions will be lifted".

Johnson said the figures from the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) and other studies showed clearly that the new coronavirus variant is very contagious.

Meanwhile, Johnson's spokesman told journalists at a Westminster briefing that the government continues to keep all of the scientific evidence and data under review regarding the decision to lift lockdown.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Also on Thursday, Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster announced that coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the region will be extended until March 5 amid surging infections.

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.

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