THE UK HAS recorded its highest number of Covid-19 deaths reported on a single day since the pandemic began, while figures for cases and hospital admissions have also hit record levels.

The British government said a further 1,325 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of yesterday – bringing the UK total to 79,833.

Meanwhile, there were a further 68,053 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, the highest figure reported in a single day since the start of mass testing last May, although it may have been higher in April 2020, with cases estimated to have been as high as 100,000 per day at the peak of the first wave.

Meanwhile, the United States hit a new record for coronavirus cases yesterday, with nearly 290,000 in a span of 24 hours.

As of Thursday, Ireland had 936 confirmed Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period; the actual number of cases is likely to be a lot higher as Ireland is no longer testing close contacts of confirmed cases

Hospitals in England

A message from @CMO_England Professor Chris Whitty on #coronavirus#COVID19 is spreading across the country, putting many at risk and placing pressure on the #NHS

As we roll out vaccines, it is vital that we all continue to stay at home to:
▶️ protect the NHS
▶️ save lives pic.twitter.com/uc22i59L0U

— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) January 8, 2021

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England also stood at a record 29,346 as of 8am on Friday, up by 30% from a week ago, while admissions also hit a new high with a total of 3,967 admissions in England reported for 6 January, passing the previous record of 3,697 on 5 January, according to NHS England figures.

The British government has doubled down on its “stay at home message” by launching a new advert, fronted by England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, urging everyone in England to “act like you’ve got” coronavirus.

Prof Whitty said: “Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: “I know the last year has taken its toll – but your compliance is now more vital than ever.”

In London, mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” as the spread of coronavirus threatens to “overwhelm” the capital’s hospitals.

The US

The United States hit a new record for coronavirus cases yesterday, with nearly 290,000 in a span of 24 hours according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The country, the hardest-hit in the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, also recorded 3,676 virus deaths in the same day, the Baltimore-based university said.

The day before, the US had recorded a record of nearly 4,000 deaths in 24 hours.

Some 131,000 people are currently hospitalized in the US for Covid-19, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The world’s largest economy has recorded 21.8 million coronavirus cases and more than 368,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

With reporting from AFP