Covid: UK records fifth highest daily case total since pandemic began

PM now under pressure to follow Scotland’s lead and reduce social contact before Christmas

A further 59,610 cases of coronavirus were recorded in the UK on Tuesday, government figures show, making it the worst day for infections since 9 January.

It is also the fifth highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began at the beginning of last year, according to analysis by the BBC.

The same data shows an additional 150 Britons have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

Less than an hour before the latest statistics were published by the UK Health Security Agency, Nicola Sturgeon urged Scots to limit their socialising to three households before and after Christmas in a bid to help combat the spread of the omicron variant.

The country’s first minister also announced a return to “physical distancing” in public settings such as shops and pubs.

“I am not asking anyone to cancel Christmas,” Ms Sturgeon said at Holyrood on Tuesday, later adding: “If you do plan on socialising, either at home or in indoor public places, we are asking that you limit the number of households represented in your group to a maximum of three.”

Asked afterwards if Boris Johnson was considering asking people in England to do the same, the prime minister’s official spokesman stopped short of telling people to limit social interactions.

Instead, he said: “We would urge people who are going to be seeing loved ones or spending time otherwise indoors with people, particularly those who might be more vulnerable to this, to get tested beforehand, to access testing, to use ventilation, to use good hand respiratory hygiene, wash your hands, and that is the advice that we give to the public at this time.”

During the same session with reporters, the spokesman said Mr Johnson would want to thank those who have queued for booster jabs – “some of whom queued for hours to get their jabs yesterday”.

He said the government wants to go “further and faster” in the booster campaign, and cited the recent decision to cut the post-jab 15-minute wait time as evidence for how ministers “will continue to” seek to do that.

“This will allow for significantly more people to go through vaccination sites and will be very beneficial on the ground,” the spokesman said. “It has been done on clinical advice and safety continues to be our top priority.”

As of this afternoon, more than 24 million booster and third doses have been administered across the UK – a day-on-day rise of 513,722, the government has said.

Meanwhile, some 51.2 million first doses and 46.8 million second doses of a Covid vaccine have now been delivered.

The prime minister has continually insisted that taking up a vaccine is Britain’s best chance at beating both Covid in general, and specifically the omicron variant, particularly in the days leading up to Christmas and the New Year.

In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Mr Johnson said: “There is a tidal wave of omicron coming, and I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.

“But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all bring our level of protection back up.”

On Tuesday, his cabinet held its first virtual meeting for months, during which England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty issued a stark warning to expect a “significant increase in hospitalisations” as cases of omicron increase.

For now, though, such numbers remain low due to the lag between infection, severe illness, hospitalisation and – in some cases – death.