1.7 million people in UK had coronavirus last week; thousands of Christmas flights cancelled – as it happened

ONS figures are highest on record so far; Christmas for many in disarray as US and Australian airlines say flight crews hit by Covid

• UK hits new Covid record again with more than 120,000 daily cases
• Christmas Eve travel chaos as airlines cancel more than 2,000 flights
• Omicron's cold-like symptoms mean UK guidance needs urgent update'
• US to lift Omicron travel ban on eight African countries

Here's a story that echoes the cancellation of flights happening over the US.

Thousands of Australians have had their domestic flights cancelled in the hours leading up to Christmas, as frontline staff were ordered to test and isolate amid a rise in Covid cases.