UK coronavirus deaths rise by 1,200, new figures show

Some 23,275 new cases of Covid 19 have also been identified - a drop of 30 per cent on the previous Saturday

An additional 1,200 people have died within 28 days of contracting coronavirus, the government’s new daily figures showed on Saturday afternoon.

The number is slightly lower than Friday when it was revealed 1,245 people had passed away over the last 24 hours - but it brings the country’s total death toll to 105,571.

Some 23,275 new cases of Covid 19 have also been identified - down 30 per cent on the previous Saturday.

The plunge in new cases suggests the third national lockdown is yielding positive results.

But it may also hint that the vaccine drive - which has now seen some 8.38 million people given a first dose - is beginning to have an effect.

Speaking before the latest data, Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said preliminary research suggests the jab is reducing infection rates.

He said the data – set to be published in full next week – indicates it is helping to protect those over-80 especially.

The research, accessed through Public Health England vaccination records, is mostly based on the Pfizer BioNTech jab and represents around three to four weeks of the programme.

Speaking on Saturday morning, meanwhile, cabinet office minister Michael Gove said he was "confident" some 15 million jabs would be given by 15 February.

It comes  on a day when tempers appeared to ease over a growing disagreement between the EU and UK over delays to vaccine supplies to the union.

As Brussels backed down from a Friday night threat to prevent vaccine exports entering Northern Ireland as a perceived backdoor into Britain - a threat which left both Dublin and Belfast seething - Mr Gove said the bloc had recognised the move would have been “a mistake”.