UK COVID cases hit record; Top doctor warns of worse to come

By DANICA KIRKA and JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays. Professor Chris Whitty described the current situation as two epidemics in one, with omicron infections rising rapidly even as the country continues to grapple with the older delta variant, which is still causing a large number of infections. Public health officials expect omicron to become the dominant variant across the U.K. by Christmas and in London much sooner. The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January.