<span style="color: #222222;">England and Wales has reported nearly 130,000 new coronavirus infections, which is a record daily tally as Omicron variant cases surge in the region alarmingly.<br />''<br />''Authorities in London and Cardiff announced 129,471 new cases, while Scotland provisionally recorded 9,360 infections and Northern Ireland released no new data due to the Christmas holidays.<br />''<br />''Britain is already among the worst-hit countries in Europe with a virus death toll approaching 150,000.</span>