Audio By Carbonatix
A further 1,325 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported on any day since the pandemic began.
It means there have been just short of 80,000 deaths by that measure - as another 68,053 new cases were recorded.
Covid-19: UK records 1,325 new virus deaths - BBC News https://t.co/AOnUWDOCAs
— Matt Scott 💙 ❄ (@MattScottMusic) January 8, 2021
It comes as a third Covid vaccine received emergency approval for use in the UK.
The government has pre-ordered 17 million doses of the jab, made by US firm Moderna.
It joins the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs in being approved, with close to 1.5 million people now vaccinated in the UK.
Friday's daily figures showed 619,941 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 09:00 GMT - also a new record.
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