The death toll from coronavirus in the UK has reached 144, the Department of Health said today.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 was up by 643 to 3,269 according to the latest figures published earlier.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain was in talks to buy a coronavirus antibody test that could be a game changer if it works.
In a daily press briefing at Downing Street, he said that negotiations are under way to buy a "so-called antibody test, as simple as a pregnancy test, that can tell whether you have had the disease".
"It is early days but if it works as its proponents claim, then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable because obviously it has the potential to be a total game changer," he told reporters.
Mr Johnson said he was confident that the tide can be turned in the coronavirus fight within the next 12 weeks as he updated the public on the timetable for restrictions.
"I'm conscious as the days have gone by that people will want to know how long we're expecting them to keep it up," he said.
"I think, looking at it all, that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and I'm absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country.
"But only if we all take the steps that we've outlined, that is vital, that's how we're going to reduce the peak and once we've achieved that and I think that we will, if we take the steps I've said, then the scientific progress that we've been making will really start coming into play."
He also said that Britain may have to impose stricter measures in London to tackle the coronavirus because compliance with the government's advice in parts of the capital has been patchy.
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Earlier, the British government denied that it was planning to restrict travel in and out of London after the capital's rumour mill went into overdrive over the response to coronavirus.
"There are no plans to close down the transport network in London," Prime Minister Johnson's spokesman told reporters.
"And there is zero prospect of any restriction being placed on travelling in or out of London."
He condemned some of the recent reporting of the issue as "deeply unhelpful", saying it had "unnecessarily worried people" after rumours flew on social media.
London has been particularly badly hit by the outbreak of coronavirus, and speculation was rife in the capital yesterday that the government was planning to lock down the city.
The London transport authorities has closed dozens of Underground stations, but said they would maintain the system to enable "critical workers to make essential journeys".
Passenger numbers have dropped since Mr Johnson on Monday advised Britons to work from home and avoid all non-essential travel or social contact to limit the spread of coronavirus.
