Covid: US reports record infections as Europe's Omicron cases also soar

The US and several European countries have reported their highest daily rises in Covid cases since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant spreads.

More than 440,000 new cases were recorded in the US on Monday, health officials said.

France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and England have also reported record numbers of daily infections.

Officials have said the high figures could be due in part to reporting delays over the Christmas period.

Studies suggest that Omicron is milder than the previously dominant Delta variant, but fears remain that the sheer number of cases stemming from the highly infectious Omicron could overwhelm hospitals.