Britain reported a record new 57,725 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, as infections continue to surge as a result of a mutated variant of the virus.
It marked the fifth day in a row of record highs, all above 50,000 and nearly double the levels of two weeks ago.
Another 445 people have died in the 28 days after testing positive for the virus, with the death toll is just under 75,000.
"These numbers are a stark reminder that, as we leave 2020 behind, we are not yet of the woods – transmission is very high and many lives are still tragically being lost," said Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England.
"It is more important now than ever that we don't waste the huge sacrifices we all made last year – we must continue keeping our distance from others, washing our hands and wearing a mask to help stop the spread of the virus," she added.
Hospitals in Britain have started receiving batches of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which was recently approved by British regulators.
About 530,000 doses of the vaccine will be available for roll-out across the country from Monday.
More than one million people in the UK have received their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
