UK's Covid-19 death toll reaches 100,000 after record 1,564 more fatalities

Although the number of deaths reported daily continues to rise, the number of new cases reported daily over the last week has been below a high of 68,053 also recorded on January 8, suggesting lockdown measures were beginning to take effect.

London had the most reported deaths at 202, which mayor Sadiq Khan later confirmed had taken the capital's total number of coronavirus deaths past 10,000.

During April there were 23 consecutive days each with more than 1,000 deaths, including 1,456 on April 8 - the "deadliest day" of the pandemic so far. Across the United Kingdom, health service staff are under severe strain and the number of victims continues to rise.

Hospitals in England also remain under huge pressure, although the prime minister said during PMQs earlier that the country's third national lockdown was "starting to show signs of some effect". While Boris Johnson admitted ICU capacity could be exceeded.

Britain has reported more than 80,000 deaths - the fifth highest death toll globally.

He said that the process of protecting people from coronavirus is already going "exceptionally fast" - but "at the moment the limit is on supply" of the vaccine.

Britain on Wednesday announced another 1,564 virus fatalities, a daily record and the first time the death count has passed 1,500 in a 24-hour period during the coronavirus pandemic.

But this number, along with data for more recent days, is likely to be revised upwards once more deaths have been registered.