The photo shows a drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Bolton, Britain, on September 22, 2020.

The number of COVID cases in the UK has passed 10 million, marking a grim milestone since the start of the pandemic.

According to official data released on Thursday, the number of people who tested positive in the latest round of daily figures was 47,240, taking the total number of infections to 10,021,497.

The data also showed about 10 percent increase in the number of cases reported between November 19 and November 25, in comparison with the previous seven days.

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 has reached to more than 144,000 since the start of the pandemic.

The catastrophic numbers come in the wake of soaring infections across Europe, with the Czech Republic plunging its entire population into an official state of emergency after a spike in COVID infections.

Earlier in October, several European countries criticized British handling of COVID-19, and blamed the fourth wave on the UK over its wrong COVID policies such as relaxing all physical distancing restrictions, abandoning the face masks, and refusing to implement a COVID pass.

More than 50 million Britons have received their first dozes of COVID-19 vaccine, while Some 46 million second doses have been delivered, Government figures show.

However, rates of hospitalizations and deaths in the UK have failed to substantially decline since the summer, when the country lifted almost all of its remaining restriction.