Another 2,696 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,452,527, according to official figures released on Wednesday.

The country also reported another three coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,694. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Nearly 37 million people, or more than 70 percent of adults in Britain, have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

The data came amid grave concerns over the spread of the India-related variant in Britain.

Almost 3,000 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been reported in Britain, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Wednesday.

Speaking at the House of Commons, lower house of the British Parliament, Hancock said 2,967 cases of the COVID-19 variant have now been recorded, 28 percent up from the figure of more than 2,300 on Monday.

Surge testing and vaccinations will be deployed in those areas including Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside, Hancock said.

The Scottish government is also taking similar steps in Glasgow and Moray.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers earlier that there is "increasing confidence" that the current vaccines will be effective against all variants of the virus, including the India-related variant.

However, the spread of the India-related variant has raised concerns that England's final step of the roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions might be delayed on June 21.

Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil and India.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.