The UK has recorded 39,906 new COVID-19 cases and 84 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data.

The figures compare with 44,104 new infections and 73 fatalities announced on Wednesday, and 48,553 cases and 63 deaths which were reported this time last week.

Since the pandemic began, a total of 128,980 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 154,000 deaths registered in the UK where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate.

Some 45,101 people had their first jab yesterday, meaning that 46,433,845 have now received at least one COVID vaccine dose in the UK.

Another 183,338 people had their second jab, bringing the total number of those now fully inoculated against coronavirus to 36,587,904.

According to the most recent data, 788 COVID patients were admitted to hospital on 18 July and 5,175 were admitted in the last seven days – a 31.1% weekly rise.

It comes as figures revealed more than 600,000 alerts were sent to users of the NHS coronavirus app in a week and retailers warned of possible shortages due to staff absence.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government risks “losing social consent” for isolation if it does not immediately bring forward the relaxation of quarantine rules for the fully vaccinated.

From 16 August, people who are a close contact of a positive test will be allowed to skip isolation if they are double jabbed, and they will be advised to take a PCR test as soon as possible.

But there are fears that over the next month many services, like food production and emergency services, will suffer as increasing numbers of staff are forced to stay in self-isolation.

NHS figures showed a record 618,903 alerts were sent to users of the coronavirus app in England and Wales in the week to 14 July, telling them they had been near someone who had tested positive for COVID.

The government has said some workers classed as critical will be exempted from self-isolation but there is confusion over what jobs this will cover.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said a “very narrow” list of sectors whose workers will be exempt from isolation rules would be published later today, but Downing Street later suggested it would instead be “examples of the sectors where exemptions could apply”.

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