The number of people admitted to hospital with the Coronavirus has risen as the Omicron variant continues to tear through the nation.
Latest figures show that 2,434 people were admitted to hospital with the virus bringing the seven day admission to a total of 15,812 - a week on week increase of more than 50%.
Despite the rise in hospital admissions, daily figures show that the case rate for the virus has fallen for the fifth day in a row with 141,472 people testing positive across the UK in 24 hours.
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With a further 97 deaths caused by the Covid as reported in the Mirror.
Experts have warned that although the latest wave appears to have peaked in London, cases are rising across the rest of England.
Today's figure is a 178 per cent increase from the number of infections confirmed a month ago, with more than 1.2 million cases in the past week.
A week ago the Government confirmed 137,583 cases and 73 deaths, while a month ago, on December 9, 50,867 people tested positive and there were 148 fatalities.
Yesterday the UK became the first country in Europe to record 150,000 Covid deaths, and just the seventh in the world after the USA, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia and Peru.
The heartbreaking landmark was reached after 313 further fatalities were confirmed, the highest daily increase since February last year.
The surge in new cases has caused huge pressure on healthcare services, with an estimated 80,000 NHS workers currently said to be either isolating or unable to work due to illness.
The number of patients in ventilation beds, 868, is lower than it was in September, before the Omicron variant emerged.
Experts have warned that infections are continuing to rise across England.
Epidemiologist Professor Dame Anne Johnson told Sky News today that there is "big variability" across the country - with cases rising in all parts of the country except the capital.
Although London may have passed its peak, she warned, we are "not seeing that elsewhere".
So far, 25 NHS trusts have declared critical incidents, with bosses saying services were being overwhelmed by new patients.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said that health services are currently under "huge pressure".
He wrote on Twitter : "Today’s peak is about expanding general and acute beds for large numbers of people with much milder disease symptoms.
"And there are significant numbers of people with incidental covid – in hospital WITH covid-19 as opposed to BECAUSE of it.
"But, remember, that to quote a senior NHS clinical leader this week “given the need to separate any patient with Covid-19 and the generally milder presentations, the actual operational consequences of incidental Covid-19 are effectively the same for hospitals as primary diagnosis Covid-19."
