Covid cases rise to record high in Milton Keynes today as the city prepares to celebrate New Year

A massive 763 new cases of Covid have been confirmed in MK over the past 24 hours.

Yesterday (Tuesday) 593 cases were confirmed and one Covid death was recorded.

Only the cases of people who take a PCR test at an official test centre are recorded in the government's daily figures. Hundreds more Covid-positive people who simply take a lateral flow test are not recorded - thus the true number is thought to be significantly higher.

MK's infection rate (the number of cases per 100,000 people) today stands at 1,427.4, which is higher than the UK average of 1,238.6.

Nationally the number of new cases rose to a record 183,037 today and 57 deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile experts at the government's UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) say more than 90% of community Covid cases in England are now the Omicron variant.

As people flock to buy self testing kits, pharmacists are warning of patchy supplies following changes to self-isolation rules.

They say demand for lateral flow tests increased after changes allowed people with Covid in England to end isolation after seven days if they test negative.

The Association Of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said: "During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system."

The good news is that there are still just 28 Covid patients occupying beds at Milton Keynes hospital. However, staff shortages due to Covid illness or isolation means the hospital has prepared an Emergency Reserves plan in case of crisis.Visiting has also been banned in all adult wards, with exceptions made in the case of patients who are nearing the end of life.

Earlier today Prime Minister Boris Johnson came to Milton Keynes today to visit the Covid vaccination centre at the Open University. He urged people everywhere to be sensible about New Year's celebrations,