The UK has recorded another 91,743 Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours.

A wave of coronavirus is sweeping the country and ministers are locked in talks over whether to introduce more restrictions.

Boris Johnson’s cabinet met today following the health secretary’s warning that ‘there are no guarantees’ new rules can be ruled out.

Updated infection data also confirms another grim pandemic milestone: the number of positive tests collected on December 15 passed 100,000 for the first time since the disease arrived.

Samples collected on that day but not analysed until a few days after now number 102,297.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there had been 8,044 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron, bringing the total to 45,145.

Another 44 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, the government has confirmed.

The booster dose campaign is continuing apace but is not yet hitting the one million a day target set by Boris Johnson.

There were 846,466 third jabs delivered in the last 24 hours, taken the total number fully protected to 28,978,244 booster.

First and second doses have also continued to climb, a sign the incentive of passports for certain venues may be having an effect.

The number of first doses dished out rose to 33,151 on the previous day, while second doses climbed by 39,904.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 172,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The cabinet met today to review the latest data amid signs new measures could be introduced to try and slow the building wave.

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty briefed Boris Johnson’s top team this afternoon.

Downing Street denied it was an emergency meeting, saying ministers were being updated on a fast-changing situation.

It comes after the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned daily hospital admissions could reach 3,000 without further restrictions.

Downing Street did not deny reports that a number of ministers – including Chancellor Rishi Sunak – have pushed back against calls for action without more evidence of the impact the virus would have.

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