More than 50,000 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK have now died, official figures show, following another 595 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.
The UK death toll now stands at 50,365, the highest in Europe, with another 22,950 testing positive for the disease over the last day, according to government data.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacted to the grim milestone by saying that "every death is a tragedy".
"We mourn everybody who is gone, we're not out of the woods yet, it does still require everybody to follow the guidance and do the right thing to suppress the disease," he said.
The 595 deaths recorded today represents the highest daily toll since 6 May, when there were 612, according to government figures.
The figures include those who tested positive for the disease within the last 28 days.
But wider data compiled by the Office for National Statistics, which include all deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned as a factor on the death certificate, puts the toll at more than 60,000.
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Mr Johnson has urged people to get a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available.
He said: "The priority list will be decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. They will look at the groups that really need it first and they will typically be the elderly, the vulnerable, people in care homes and so on. That is how we will do it.
"Certainly I would say to everybody anti-vaxx is total nonsense - you should definitely get a vaccine."
The prime minister said the coronavirus pandemic is entering a new phase in the UK.
He said: "After the tough autumn measures which I hope people will stick really, really rigidly as far as they can, we are very much hoping things will start to come to our aid.
"Number one is mass testing - the rapid turnaround testing - and the other is the realistic prospect of a vaccine.
"We have two boxing gloves to pummel the disease in the weeks and month that follow but I have got to stress that we are not out of the woods yet.
"It does require everybody to follow the guidance."
