The UK's coronavirus death toll in hospitals has risen by 556 as millions more in England face being plunged into Tier 4.
There have been a further 494 deaths in England, 43 in Scotland, 6 in Northern Ireland and 13 in Wales.
The latest grim figures come as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for rollout in the UK, with tens of millions to receive the jab in the coming weeks.
But the positive news has been tempered by soaring rates of coronavirus, with more than 53,000 cases recorded yesterday, a new daily high.
A further 494 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 49,719, NHS England said on Wednesday.
Patients were aged between 30 and 100.
All except 20, aged between 36 and 92, had known underlying health conditions.
The deaths were between November 9 and December 29.
There were 23 other deaths reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
There have been a further 2,281 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 146,706.
Public Health Wales reported another 13 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 3,429.
Scotland has recorded 43 deaths from coronavirus and 2,045 positive tests in the past 24 hours, the highest daily case figure on record, Scottish Government figures show.
It brings the death toll under this measure - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - to 4,510.
The latest statistics show 124,831 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up from 122,786 the previous day.
The daily test positivity rate is 11.3%, down from 14.4% on the previous day.
Of the new cases, 618 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 295 in Lanarkshire, and 257 in Lothian.
There are 1,133 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, up 41 in 24 hours.
Of these patients, 69 are in intensive care, an increase of four.
There have been six more deaths related to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health.
A further 2,143 positive cases of the virus were also notified on Wednesday.
Wednesday's figures come as hospitals around the UK have reported being overstretched, with patients waiting in ambulances in car parks.
A major incident has been declared in Essex over bed capacity - one of the hotspots worst hit by the new more infectious Covid strain sweeping across the UK.
And it is expected that millions more people will be placed into Tier 4 restrictions as the rules are extended across England.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is to reveal when secondary school pupils will return after the Christmas holidays.
Boris Johnson will also give a 5pm briefing to the nation, after opening the Commons debate around his Brexit deal earlier.
