England's top doctor: omicron likely to get worse

The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began. 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.

He 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. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also reiterated his call for British citizens to get their coronavirus booster jabs as the omicron variant continues to spread across the UK. The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January.