The UK Health Security Agency detected 17,269 new cases of the Omicron variant in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 177,201 identified through sequencing.
The majority of tests are not sequenced so the figure is likely to be far higher. Scotland and Wales have not reported case numbers since 23 December.
People in England who have died with the Omicron variant has risen to 49, the UKHSA said. Hospitalisations reached a total of 668 in England.
It comes after PCR tests are taking up to five days for results in Scotland and a shortage of lateral flow tests in England threaten New Year’s Eve plans.
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