CASES of the Omicron Covid variant have today leapt up 53 per cent with a further 86 infections reported in the UK – bringing the total to 246.
It comes after an expert warned travel measures hurriedly put in place to combat the spread of the "super strain" are already too late to stop a wave of cases.
The UK Health Security Agency has now confirmed even more cases of the mutant variant have been recorded today.
An additional 86 cases of the Omicron strain have been reported in the UK – with 68 of those in England.
That's a 53 per cent rise in just a DAY as the total has risen from 160 to 246 in the last 24 hours.
A further 17 cases have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the total to 48.
Earlier today, government adviser Professor Mark Woolhouse said it is "too late" to make a "material difference" in stopping a break out of cases.
UKHSA has already warned the mutant variant is “transmitting rapidly and successfully" after first being identified here a week ago.
The surge in cases led to ministers in Westminster signing off on new travel restrictions, meaning that those returning from abroad will need a negative PCR or lateral flow test in the 48 hours before coming home.
Asked about the new travel rules on BBC'S Andrew Marr Show this morning, Prof Woolhouse said: "I think that may be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
"If Omicron is here in the UK, and it certainly is, if there's community transmission in the UK, and it certainly looks that way, then it's that community transmission that will drive a next wave.
🔵 Read our Omicron variant live blog for the latest news
"The cases that are being imported are important, we want to detect those and isolate any positive cases we find, as we would for any case anywhere.
"But I think it's too late to make a material difference to the course of the Omicron wave if we're going to have one."
Despite Omicron cases rising, Dominic Raab today insisted families CAN get together this Christmas as fears of a festive lockdown grow.
The deputy prime minister has tried to reassure panicked Brits that the country is in a "more confident position" than last year as he urged people to go ahead with Christmas parties.
Speaking on BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Raab said people should "enjoy" gatherings and Christmas with their families and loved ones around them.
"It's going to be a great Christmas," he said.
"All the families, friends, loved ones are being able to get together in a way we haven't been able to do for a couple of years.
"Of course we'll continue to be vigilant about variants but the reality is we are in a much more confident position because of the vaccine, because of the boosters.
"People should enjoy Christmas, get their loved ones around them, and celebrate it in a way we haven't been able to in the past."
The rise in Omicron cases comes after it was reported the first at-home Covid pill could be available by CHRISTMAS in a bid to combat the variant.
Sajid Javid is reportedly set to launch a national pilot of the "game changer" oral treatment – the Molnupiravir anti-viral pill, also known as Lagevrio – in the coming weeks.
Last month, the UK's drugs regulator declared the pills as "safe and effective" at slashing hospitalisations and deaths in people who have caught the killer bug, becoming the first country in the world to license its use – a move described as a "game-changer" by Mr Javid.
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