Britain suffers 563 coronavirus deaths - the third deadliest Sunday in the whole pandemic - as infections top 50,000 for the thirteenth day in a row with 54,940 cases

Britain today announced a further 563 people have died of coronavirus - the third deadliest Sunday of the entire pandemic.  

The last time so many deaths were announced on a Sunday was on April 12, when 657 were recorded.  

It is another sign of the growing spread of the virus throughout the country with today's figures also higher than last week, when 455 people died.

Infections also continue to be high, with 54,940 announced today, the thirteenth day in a row they have been above the 50,000 mark.  

Figures are usually lower on Sunday's, with 1,035 deaths recorded yesterday. 

Britain's Covid-19 death toll now stands at 81,431, while cases now stand at 3,072,349.

Today's figures come at the end of the first week of England's third national lockdown - amid warnings from Government that as many as one in 50 people have the virus. 

But as the NHS vaccination roll-out continues, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned it is 'highly likely,' people will be vaccinated against Covid annually, as with the flu.

He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: 'I think it's highly likely that there will be a dual-vaccination programme for the foreseeable, this is the medium-term, of flu and Covid.'

He added: 'Flu vaccination rates are at their highest level ever. Over 80 per cent of the over-65s have been vaccinated for flu this year. That's the biggest increase, a jump on last year when it was around 70 per cent.

'That's very good news. It's good news for two reasons. Firstly, to protect people against flu and secondly because it shows the vast, vast majority of over-65s are up for getting vaccinated.'

Earlier today it was revealed three boroughs in and around London have become the UK's Covid hot-spots for infection rates - with as many as 1 in 15 people having had the virus in one area alone.

Earlier today Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed the Covid-19 jab could become an annual vaccination - like the flu. It comes as Britain recorded another 563 deaths

London's Barking and Dagenham, the neighbouring borough of Redbridge, and the commuter area of Thurrock, in Essex, are all in the grips of a serious outbreak of the new mutant Covid strain, figures reveal.

Eye-opening data shows that Barking and Dagenham is the country's worst hit area for infection rates, with 1,708 cases per 100,000 people.

Redbridge is the second worst hit area it terms of infection rate, with 1,571 cases per 100,000 people, while Thurrock is third on the list with a rate of 1,566 cases per 100,000, according to the Government's latest figures.

It comes as separate data from the Office of National Statistics' infection survey - which is taken from private households only - shows around 1 in 15 people in the Redbridge borough have had Covid in the last week.  

Earlier, it was suggested that pubs and bars in England could be closed until the start of May under draconian plans being examined by officials.

No10 is said to be privately gloomy about the prospects of an end to the third lockdown next month. March 23 - the year anniversary of the start of the first lockdown - is being touted as a more realistic end date.

Boris Johnson has already warned that lockdown measures are unlikely to all be lifted at once, in favour of a gradual lifting of restrictions as rising numbers of vaccinations take place.

But today it was suggested that the bank holiday on May 3, is a more likely date for boozers to re-open their doors to a thirsty public.

'The May Day bank holiday is more likely the moment you see pubs reopening,' a source told the Sunday Times.

It came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to deny that stricter lockdown measures could be introduced if the current stay at home messages are ignores.

Asked if ministers would consider curfews, closing nurseries, banning support bubbles, limiting exercise to an hour a day or enforcing the wearing of masks outside, he said: 'I don’t want to speculate, because the most important message is not whether the government will further strengthen the rules, the most important thing is that people stay at home and follow the rules that we’ve got.'