As the number of first doses delivered in the UK passed four million, ministers and officials said it was still too soon to rely on the jab “coming to our rescue”.

The warning came as the latest official figures showed there was a record 37,475 people in hospital with the disease across the UK.

As the pressure continues to mount, the NHS Confederation has said the health service could reach its limit for critical care beds this week.

Meanwhile scientists advising the Government have warned there is a danger that people could start relaxing their guard as the vaccine started to become available.

The latest minutes of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), released last week, called for close monitoring of the situation with a system of “rapid alerts” if adherence to the rules begins to fall off.

A further 2,722 people in the county have received a positive Covid-19 result in the last seven days.

The figures are as follows:

Allerdale – 550

Carlisle – 940

Copeland – 314

Barrow – 339

Eden – 251

South Lakeland – 328

Nationwide 33,355 new people had a confirmed positive test result reported on January 19.

Between 13 January 2021 and 19 January 2021, 302,802 people had a confirmed positive test result.

This shows a decrease of 22.3 per cent compared to the previous seven days.

Total deaths in Cumbria, within 28 days of a positive test result, stand at 808.

Under the current government restrictions, the country remains in lockdown.

This means non-essential journeys should not be made, and everyone should remain inside their own homes as much as possible, unless in a support bubble.

Hand sanitising, social distancing and mask wearing is all advised when entering a shop or someone's else's home.

For more information, visit the Cumbria County Council website at: www.cumbria.gov.uk/coronavirus/landingpage.asp