A further 8,044 new Omicron cases were identified in the UK, a third lower than Sunday’s figure.
Latest figures were revealed as Boris Johnson announced there would be no immediate Covid restrictions enforced.
It comes after Cabinet met to discuss the surge in cases earlier on Monday.
Deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab said Christmas would be “better than last year”.
It comes as confirmed cases of the highly transmissible new strain have risen by more than 12,000 in the UK – with London’s cases alone surpassing 10,000 on Sunday.
