England sets new record for COVID-19 cases

England reported 162,572 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, setting a new record for daily infections in the country.

Saturday’s case count shattered the previous record of 160,276 infections, which was set on Friday, according to Reuters, which cited official data.

The number of COVID-19 deaths within 28 days of a positive test in England, however, slightly decreased between Friday and Saturday, falling from 178 to 154.

Data from England typically accounts for statistics in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well, but Saturday’s numbers only focused on England because the countries had different reporting schedules this holiday weekend, Reuters noted.

The coronavirus spread rapidly throughout the United Kingdom in December, according to official data, with cases skyrocketing over the course of the month. The number of infections has shattered records set in the U.K.’s previous waves of the pandemic.

Deaths in England, however, have remained low compared to previous waves. The U.K.’s seven-day average for deaths hovered around 115 last month, according to official data. Last January, that number exceeded 1,000.

The current spike in cases is driven, in part, by the highly transmissible omicron variant, which was first discovered in South Africa in November but has since spread widely across the globe. 

Early data suggests that the new variant may be less severe than the delta strain for individuals who are vaccinated, according to White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci.

Officials in Scotland, Wolves and Northern Ireland have implemented COVID-19 mitigation measures to help curb the current outbreak, according to Reuters, but England has not.

U.K. Health Minister Sajid Javid wrote in the Daily Mail on Friday that COVID-19 restrictions will be the “last resort” amid the current wave of the pandemic.

“Curbs on our freedom must be an absolute last resort and the British people rightly expect us to do everything in our power to avert them,” Javid wrote.