UK logs new daily record of Covid-19 cases with 88,376 infections

Authorities reported 88,376 new confirmed cases on Thursday, almost 10,000 more than the previous record set a day earlier.

Britain’s government says it recorded another record daily number of Covid-19 cases.

Members of the public queue for Covid-19 booster vaccinations at St Thomas hospital, near the Houses of Parliament, in London, UK, on Thursday, December, 16, 2021. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg)

Authorities reported 88,376 new confirmed cases on Thursday, almost 10,000 more than the previous record set a day earlier. Officials said 146 people infected with the coronavirus died between Wednesday and Thursday.

UK officials have said the omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading at an “absolutely phenomenal pace,” with case numbers doubling every two to three days.

The UK Health Security Agency said another 1,691 omicron cases have been identified in the country, bringing the total to 11,708, though scientists warn the number is likely to be much higher.

England’s chief medical officer says it’s possible that daily hospital admissions from Covid-19 this winter will surpass the previous peak numbers, though he cautioned that “huge uncertainties” remain about the omicron variant.