More than 43,000 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours in the UK - and 54 people died in that same period having received a positive test.
It means 830 people have died with coronavirus in the UK in the past week but, at this stage, the data doesn't tell us which strain these had.
More than 46 million have been double jabbed and more than 20 million have had a booster injection, as the UK continues to fight the disease.
And a new coronavirus antiviral pill could be offered to patients before Christmas in a bid to protect the most vulnerable from the new Omicron variant.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid is reportedly set to launch a national pilot scheme of the Molnupiravir antiviral pill - also known as Lagevrio - in the UK.
But a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggested restrictions could be needed in January.
Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, of the University of Cambridge, said Omicron “may actually be milder but we haven't got enough data yet to be able to say”.
Speaking to Sky News, the statistician added: “Just like last year with the Alpha variant, this is a terrible time for a variant to come along.
“The next two weeks are probably some of the highest-risk periods with a lot of indoor socialising that we know is extremely high risk.
“It’s appalling timing. I’m sure the government would love not to disrupt Christmas. What happens after Christmas of course is another matter.
"The new year is quite likely to see some quite, er, a lot of challenges to face. And have SAGE have said, that could very well mean more stringent measures.
"I could mention working from home. So far it’s not been recommended but that is known to be extremely effective at halving the number of close contacts people have."