According to official data, a total of 162,572 new Covid-19 cases were registered daily in the UK this Saturday (January 1), up from a new record of 160,276 the previous day.
The virus showed 154 deaths in the UK in 28 days after a daily update positive test, up from 178 on Friday.
UK data typically includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but this was not done this Saturday due to differences in the New Year’s weekend reporting schedule.
As the Ômicron variant spread rapidly, the daily number of confirmed infections across the UK reached record highs again in December. However, hospitalization and deaths were at a lower level than previous waves.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have adopted restrictions such as the closure of nightclubs, social exclusion rules in pubs and restrictions on the number of people they can meet.
But the UK, with more than 80% of the population, does not impose any restrictions. Health Secretary Sajid Javed said any new restrictions would be introduced only as a “complete last resort”.
