At 58,194, UK records biggest single-day jump in Covid cases since January

Britain reports 58,194 new coronavirus cases, reaching levels not seen since early January, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,719,165, according to official figures released Friday.

The country also reported a further 120 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 146,255, with 7,413 COVID-19 patients still in the hospital.

The latest data came as another 448 cases of the Omicron COVID variant have been reported in Britain, taking the total cases found in the country to 1,139.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 443 cases were discovered in England, one case was found in Scotland and four in Wales. No further Omicron cases were found in Northern Ireland.

The Omicron variant is growing "rapidly" in all regions of England and it is spreading faster than Delta, the latest data from UKHSA has revealed. Omicron is expected to be the dominant variant in Britain by the middle of this month, it said.

Meanwhile, experts also estimate that if it continues to grow at the current rate, Britain could see up to 1 million cases in total by the end of the month.

More than 89 per cent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 81 per cent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 38 per cent have received booster jabs or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.