The previous highest number of cases was on Jan 8, 2021 when 68,053 cases were reported.

Another 4,671 Omicron cases have been confirmed in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the Covid-19 variant was found in the country, taking the total Omicron cases to 10,017, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

The country also reported a further 165 coronavirus-related deaths.

The total number of deaths in Britain now stands at 146,791, with 7,673 Covid-19 patients still in hospital.

The latest data came as England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned that there will continue to be record numbers of Covid cases over the next few weeks.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Whitty said the spread of the existing Delta variant is “roughly flat”, but there are “two epidemics on top of one another” following the spread of the Omicron variant.

“I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up,” Whitty said.

More than 89% of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 81% have received both doses, according to the latest figures.

More than 43% have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the US have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.