London, Nov 14 (IANS): Another 27,301 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,317,496, according to official figures released Friday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 376 to 51,304, the data showed.

Britain is the first European nation to record more than 50,000 coronavirus deaths. It is the fifth country in the world to hit the tragic milestone, following the US, Brazil, India and Mexico, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The Friday figures were revealed as a new report from the House of Lords (upper house of British Parliament) Public Services Committee showed that nine in 10 vulnerable children missed school during the first coronavirus lockdown.

The report noted that coronavirus restrictions have hit children, disabled people and BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities hardest.

Earlier Friday, the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) announced that Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, has dropped slightly to a maximum of 1.2.

If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

The SAGE warned that although the R number has dropped in some areas, case numbers are still "very high".

England last week entered into a month-long national lockdown, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.

To bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.