Covid-19 infections in the UK have jumped to their highest level since the summer, with nearly three million people likely to have had the virus over Christmas, the Office for National Statistics said.
An estimated 2.97 million people in private households are estimated to have had coronavirus in the week ending December 28, more than double the number at the start of the month.
At the same time, flu cases in hospitals in England are continuing to rise while ambulance handover delays have hit a new high, as the NHS continues to struggle with bed shortages and a surge in winter viruses.
