UK Covid cases highest Sunday figure in 7 weeks with 43,992 infections as 20m boosters doled out amid Omicron spread

THE UK has recorded the highest number of Covid cases on a Sunday in the past seven weeks as 20 million booster shots have been doled out.

A total of 43,992 new infections have been reported today amid concerns of the Omicron variant spread.

There were 54 deaths recorded in the UK today bringing the total number to 145,605 since the beginning of the pandemic.

The last Sunday the number of infections had skyrocketed was on October 17, when 45,140 cases were recorded.

The total number of infections now stands at 10,464,389.

It comes after yesterday the UK had the lowest number of deaths recorded on a Saturday in the past two months.

However, over 20 million Brits have now received their third dose of the vaccine as Boris Johnson vowed that all adults will be offered a booster shot by the end of January.

The government has extended its booster campaign to 18-39 year-olds in order to get on the front foot of Omicron infections and to give Brits as much protection as possible.

A total of 20,258,417 people have now received their booster shot.

Meanwhile, cases of the Omicron Covid variant have risen by 53 percent with a further 86 infections reported in the UK – bringing the total to 246.

The UK Health Security Agency has now confirmed even more cases of the mutant variant have been recorded today.

🔵 Read our Omicron variant live blog for the latest news

An additional 86 cases of the Omicron strain have been reported in the UK – with 68 of those in England.

That’s a 53 percent rise in just a DAY as the total has risen from 160 to 246 in the last 24 hours.

A further 17 cases have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the total to 48.

UKHSA has already warned the mutant variant is “transmitting rapidly and successfully” after first being identified here a week ago.

The surge in cases led to ministers in Westminster signing off on new travel restrictions, meaning that those returning from abroad will need a negative PCR or lateral flow test in the 48 hours before coming home.

But the PM said Christmas parties should not be cancelled and Tory chief Oliver Dowden urged Brits to go to the pub and insisted people must “keep calm and carry on.”

Government advisors have suggested the work from home advice should return in a bid to prevent the spread of Omicron as it could spark a new wave of cases.

Scientists have claimed that a third dose of the jab should be enough to protect Brits from falling seriously unwell from the Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, more than 2.5million cases have been recorded in the past week across Europe as anti-lockdown protests have been held in several countries.

New restrictions are being rolled out across the continent with measures such as heavy fines, mandatory vaccinations and full lockdowns for the unvaccinated.

Despite the growing concerns over the spread of the virus WHO has said that no one has died from the “super mutant” strain.

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