UK records 91,743 Covid cases, PM says data under constant review

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said the Cabinet was monitoring COVID-19 data hour by hour as the country recorded another record high of daily coronavirus infections at 91,743.

Speaking after a lengthy Cabinet meeting, Johnson told reporters that the government won't hesitate to introduce tougher lockdown measures ahead of Christmas amid an ongoing surge in coronavirus cases.

But he declared that some things need to be clearer around the Omicron variant before further action is taken.

Unfortunately I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS," said Johnson.

"There are still some things that we need to be clearer about before we decide to go further At the moment what I think we want people to focus on is exercising caution so ventilation, masks in the appropriate places, all the usual stuff about washing hands, but remember how contagious Omicron really is," he said.

Johnson said the data is "under constant review" amid an "extremely difficult" situation, with the arguments either way being very, very finely balanced" as hospital admissions continue to rise in London.

"Those who are unvaccinated, whether out of apathy, for whatever reason, please think of this as a great thing to do for you and your family," said Johnson, as he reiterated his message for people to get their COVID vaccines and also get boosted now if already vaccinated.

"We'll keep the economic side of this under review as well," he added.

The UK's hospitality industry has been calling for financial support amid mass cancellations as people avoid crowds during what is usually their busiest time of the year over Christmas.