UK health minister tests positive for COVID-19

London, UK | Xinhua | British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Saturday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling “a bit groggy” last night.

He said on Twitter that he has had two jabs of the vaccine and his symptoms are “mild”. He is now self-isolating at home with his family.

“Please make sure you come forward for your vaccine if you haven’t already,” he said.

Javid became the British health secretary following the resignation of Matt Hancock last month. Hancock broke COVID-19 social distancing guidelines during an alleged affair with his aide, which reportedly caused an outrage in the country.

Britain reported on Friday another 51,870 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 5,332,371, official figures showed. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain reached 128,642.

The British government has confirmed that most COVID-19 restrictions in England will end on Monday as part of the final step or Step Four of England’s roadmap out of the lockdown. But scientists have warned that lifting all restrictions at this stage could increase likelihood of dangerous variants.

More than 87 percent of the Britain’s adults have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while over 67 percent have received two jabs, the latest figures showed.

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.

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Xinhua