Covid: Daily UK case numbers hit record of 183,037

Daily reported coronavirus cases in the UK jumped to a record 183,037 on Wednesday.

The latest daily figure includes five days of data from Northern Ireland, as reporting was delayed over Christmas.

Meanwhile, frustration has been growing over lack of available lateral flow tests.

But the public should keep trying to access testing as supply will be normal by next week, UK Health Security Agency boss Dr Jenny Harries said.

She also urged people to "use tests they have at home and not pull on the system".

On the high levels of cases, she said: "We need to watch data for a couple of weeks - after new year - to be absolutely sure which way this wave is going."

In the past seven days, 914,723 people have tested positive for Covid.

And a total of 10,462 people were in hospital with Covid in England as of Wednesday morning, figures from NHS England show.

This is up 48% from a week ago and is the highest number of admissions since 1 March.

Not all the patients in hospital will have been admitted for Covid - latest data suggests about three in 10 have the virus but were admitted to hospital for something else.