LONDON - Britain registered 40,941 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 9,806,034, according to official figures released Saturday.

The country also reported a further 150 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 143,866, with 8,079 COVID-19 patients still in hospital.

The soaring cases in Europe underlined "how quickly things can go wrong," said John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.