The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 73,512 – an increase of 964 over 24 hours.
The government said that, as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 55,892 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.
The new figures bring the UK case total to 2,488,780 with 73,512 deaths.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England’s medical director, said: “We know the overwhelming majority of deaths reported today are people who sadly passed away in just the last few days. Every life lost to this disease is a sadness. It is imperative we all take action now to protect our families and our friends.
“We have all had to make huge sacrifices this year, but please ensure that you keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear a mask. A night in at New Year will mean you are significantly reducing your social contacts and can help stop the spread of the virus.”
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 89,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.