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The UK has recorded its highest ever number of daily infections of coronavirus, as cases rose by more than 50 per cent in a week.
There were 35,928 new Covid-19 cases in Britain on Sunday, taking the total to more than 2.04 million.
A further 326 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus were also recorded, which was lower than the 534 on Saturday.
The increase in deaths brings the total number since the start of the pandemic to 67,401.
The government has toughened restrictions in London and the southeast of England to try to curb the spread of a new, fast-spreading variant of the virus.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said the decision to put millions into an effective lockdown under tier 4 measures was taken rapidly after evidence showed the new strain was responsible for spiralling cases.
Viruses mutate regularly, and scientists have found thousands of different mutations among samples of the virus causing Covid-19.
Many of these changes have no effect on how easily the virus spreads or how severe symptoms are.
Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, said while the variant has been circulating since September, it was not until the last week that officials felt they had enough evidence to declare that it has higher transmissibility than other circulating coronaviruses.
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