Issuing a gloomy warning that daily cases - which today passed 49,000 - could rise as high as 100,000, Sajid Javid stressed that the link between cases, admissions and deaths has been weakened but not broken by the vaccine rollout.

Behavioural changes everyone should adopt include taking regular lateral flow tests, wearing a face covering in a crowded space and meeting people outdoors where possible, the Health Secretary said.

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