The UK reported 52,009 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily amount since July 17, and 115 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government data.

The number of new cases has been rising rapidly, with infections in the last seven days up 18 per cent compared to the week before.

Deaths have not risen as quickly but the seven-day total is still up 11 per cent.

Health Minister Sajid Javid on Wednesday resisted calls from doctors for a return of restrictions to halt the rising wave of infection but gave a stark warning they would be brought back if people did not take up vaccination offers.

New COVID-19 cases in France jumped 18 per cent to 6127 compared to a week ago after rising 8 per cent on Wednesday, health ministry data showed on Thursday.

New cases had already spiked last week - after falling continuously from more than 28,000 per day on August 17 - but that was at least partially in response to the fact that free COVID-19 testing ended last week Thursday, which encouraged more people to take a test before the deadline.

After a 36 per cent spike following the last day of free testing, new case numbers slowed down again on Sunday and Monday but then picked up again from Tuesday.

Hospital data - whose trend usually lags new case data by one to two weeks - continued improving with the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care falling by another 17 to 1009.

France also registered 37 new deaths from the epidemic, taking the total to 117,389.

Latvia began a month-long lockdown on Thursday as the number of new coronavirus cases reached an all-time peak against a background of widespread popular disinterest in vaccination.

The health authority in Riga reported 2935 positive tests within one day on Thursday.

This means that about 1463 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants have been registered in the last 14 days - another record high.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control currently attributes the highest infection rates in Europe to Latvia.

In view of the sharply rising infection count, the government in Riga decided to pull the emergency brake and sent the country into a fresh lockdown with comprehensive restrictions and a night-time curfew until November 15.

Only essential shops are to remain open.

All other venues will remain closed and catering establishments will only be allowed to sell food to takeaway or to eat outside.

Most workers are required to work from home and schools will be restricted to distance learning.

"We are all going into a stricter regime for four weeks," Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said.

This was to break the chains of infection and reduce stress on the health care system, Karins said, adding that the lockdown needed to be accompanied by a greater vaccination uptake.

Only slightly more than half of the Latvian population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The WHO said on Thursday it is monitoring a new form of the coronavirus Delta variant.

The virus, named AY4.2, has two additional mutations, the WHO said.

Recently, experts had reported a minor outbreak of the variant in the UK.

Russia also recorded its first cases, according to a report by the Interfax news agency.

There have also been cases of AY4.2 reported in the United States, Denmark and Germany.

Germany's Robert Koch Institute for disease control and prevention reported that the Delta subvariant has been detected about 280 times in the country since the July.

Researchers do not yet believe that the mutated variant could be significantly more contagious than the original Delta variant, which was first detected in India in late 2020.

It is now the dominant strain worldwide.

with Reuters

Australian Associated Press