The UK’s official coronavirus death toll has risen by 189 – meaning 61,434 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus. 

A further 14,718 new cases were also reported on Monday, with the total number of identified infections nearing 1.75 million.

The seven-day average number of new cases saw a sharp decline from high of nearly 25,000 on 10 November, but has appeared to plateau at around the 14,000 mark over the past two weeks, according to Public Health England figures.

According to the most recent government statistics, there are 14,556 patients in hospital with coronavirus. Some 1,438 new patients were reported on Thursday, when the figure was calculated.

A coronavirus vaccine has arrived in UK hospitals to be used for the first time in the battle against the virus in the country – as health officials say many of the most vulnerable will not receive the immunisation until 2021.

While much of the UK grapples with the prospect of tough restrictions throughout the winter months – with Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething refusing to rule out a third lockdown if necessary – the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has now arrived in UK hospitals.

Dozens of hospital hubs will start distributing the vaccine on Tuesday, but NHS chiefs have warned that all who are eligible should not necessarily expect to be vaccinated until after New Year.

“I don’t think people should expect anything over the next few days” said NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson, “because the reality is, as I said, that for the vast, vast, vast majority of people this will be done in January, February, March.

Mr Hopson said people need to “hang fire” and be assured they have not been forgotten if they have not received a letter or a phone call about the jab, adding: “The one thing that we don’t want people to get anxious about or concerned about is ‘Where’s my letter?’ in December.”