More than 50,000 test positive for Covid in a single day

More than 50,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours – a new daily record for the UK.

A senior health official has warned that the “unprecedented” infection levels are of “extreme concern”. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the surging number of Covid patients, as it’s reported that schools in England are unlikely to open before the middle of January at the earliest.

Across the UK there have been another 53,135 new cases, and a further 414 deaths have sadly been reported. That takes the the total to 71,567.