The UK registered a record-breaking 106,122 new COVID-19 infections in 24 hours ahead of the holidays.
It was the first time the country reported more than 100,000 daily infections.
UK health officials had warned that the highly transmissible omicron variant was likely to bring record-breaking case numbers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far refused to impose new curbs aimed at reducing transmission, but said the situation was being followed “hour by hour”.
