The UK has recorded another record number of daily Covid cases – topping 90,000 for the first time.
The government reported 93,045 new coronavirus cases – the third day in a row a pandemic high has been reached. It is a rise of 4,669 on the previous record set on Thursday as Omicron grips the country.
A further 111 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
It comes as Boris Johnson has downplayed suggestions he is at odds with Professor Chris Whitty over advice for the public as he warned the country is facing a “considerable wave†of the Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon said Omicron is now the dominant strain of coronavirus in Scotland – warning “the tsunami I warned about a week ago is now starting to hit usâ€.
Welsh leader Mark Drakeford hinted at the prospect of further restrictions in hospitality settings after Christmas, such as the return of the “rule of sixâ€.
The leader of Westminster City Council said people cancelling plans in the run-up to Christmas is having a “devastating†impact on hospitality and entertainment businesses in London’s West End.
And the Office for National Statistics estimated around one in 60 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to December 11, unchanged from the previous week.
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