The UK on Saturday reported 33,552 new confirmed coronavirus cases and an additional 1,348 deaths.

The latest figures are a drop from the 40,261 infections and 1,401 deaths reported on Friday.

A further 478,248 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine meaning a total of 5,861,351 people have so far received the first jab, according to government data.

The UK remains the fifth worst-affected country in terms of both infections and deaths and is experiencing a resurgence in infections driven by a new strain which is spreading quicker than others.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday revealed that there was some evidence that the UK COVID-19 variant was more deadly than others

He said the impact of the new variant was behind the immense pressure the National Health Service (NHS) was experiencing.

Johnson, however, noted that the vaccines currently in use were effective against the old and new coronavirus variants.

He added that the UK remained on course to achieve its target of offering a first vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups by mid-February.

The UK has reported more than 3.5 million confirmed cases and more than 96,000 deaths, according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University.

(With input from agencies)