The Government said that as of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 58,194 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK, which is the highest reported daily figure in almost a year.
The last time a higher daily figure was reported was on January 9 when 59,937 cases were recorded.
It also said a further 120 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 171,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Fears over the transmissibility of the Omicron variant has also led to tougher restrictions implemented across the UK - with England introducing Plan B and Scotland bringing in stricter isolation rules from Sunday (12 December).
With Covid case numbers in the UK reaching the highest level since January, we have taken a look at 20 common symptoms you should look out for.