The UK's coronavirus death toll has risen by 830, with a record 60,916 new cases in just 24 hours.
It is the highest rise in infections over 24 hours since the pandemic began.
December 29 marked the highest single day for infections but because of the festive period there was a lag in recording.
Boris Johnson is set to hold a press conference at 5pm, the day after he plunged England into a third national lockdown.
The Prime Minister announced the new restrictions on Monday night as infection rates skyrocketed.
Today's death toll is higher than recent Tuesdays, and follows 407 deaths recorded yesterday.
Last week the toll rose by 414, the previous Tuesday by 691, and on December 15 it rose by 506.
The UK recorded 981 deaths on December 30, in the highest daily toll since the height of the first lockdown in April.
The PM said the government was introducing the third national lockdown response to new and highly virulent mutant strains of Covid-19 whipping throughout the country.
Schools were open for just one day before being ordered to close again, following weeks of cries for them to stay shut.
Pupils will learn from home until at least the February half-term, with only children of key workers allowed back into classrooms.
Stay at home orders will limit reasons people are allowed leave the houses, with gatherings limited to households and bubbles.
People will only be allowed to meet one other person at a time from another household for socially-distanced exercise.
Shielding will resume and all pubs must shut - with takeaway pints banned.
The UK is in a race against time as the NHS strains under coronavirus and winter pressures.
The government is under pressure to ramp up its Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as millions of elderly and clinically vulnerable people and frontline health and social care workers are yet to be given the jab.
The new year kicked off with news that Oxford University and AstraZeneca's jab was ready for rollout.
The UK's Pfizer BioNTech vaccinations began shortly before Christmas, and 1million people had been vaccinated by the turn of the year.
The first of the Oxford jabs was given to an 82-year-old kidney-dialysis patient on Monday.
