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 us”.
Welsh leader Mark Drakeford hinted at the prospect of further restrictions in hospitality settings after Christmas, such as the return of the “rule of six”.
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.