Covid: UK records 1,041 deaths and highest daily increase in number of coronavirus cases
The UK has recorded more than 1,000 Covid deaths - the highest daily death toll since April - and its highest daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
There have been a further 62,322 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK in the last 24 hours, the government has said.
The results, as of 9am on Wednesday, are a new high of coronavirus daily cases the day after cases passed the 60,000 mark for the first time.
It is an increase of 42.6% from the previous seven days.
The total number of positive cases reported in the UK now stands at 2,836,801.
The government also said that as of Wednesday morning a further 1,041 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 - the highest daily reported total since April 21.
However, the death figures continue to be affected by a lag in the publication of recent data.
It means the data contains some deaths that took place over the Christmas and New Year period that have only just been reported.
It brings the total death toll for the UK to 77,346.
After the latest death figures were released, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “This is a tragedy. It’s not bad luck. It was not inevitable."
He added: “The Government has been too slow to react. We now need a national effort to get our country vaccinated.”
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, suggest there have now been 93,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
England
There were 56,060 lab-confirmed cases recorded in England as of 9am on Wednesday, according to Public Health England.
A further 884 deaths were reported in England.
Hospital admissions of people with Covid-19 have reached another record high, NHS England figures also show.
A total of 3,587 admissions in England were reported for January 4, passing the previous record of 3,351 on January 3.
During the first wave of the virus, admissions peaked at 3,099 on April 1 2020.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at a record 27,727 as of 8am on January 6, an increase on the previous week by 22%.
In London, the number stood at 7,034 patients, up 27% in a week, while in the Midlands the number was 4,629, up 19%.
In south-east England there was an increase of admissions up 24% from the previous week and 29% in south-west England.
All regions are at record levels except for north-west England and north-east England and Yorkshire.
Wales
In Wales, there were a further 2,238 lab-confirmed cases recorded as of 9am on Wednesday.
Some 76 more deaths in Wales were reported.
Scotland
Lab-confirmed cases in Scotland rose by 2,039 as of Wednesday morning.
A further 68 deaths were recorded.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, 1,985 more cases of coronavirus were recorded.
A further 13 people had reported to have died.