Christmas may be difficult as the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, England's deputy chief medical officer warned on Wednesday, urging people to behave with caution and come forward for booster shots.
Britain reported 293 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest daily figure since March, and there has been an average of around 40,000 new cases each day in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted restrictions in England in July and has said he plans to cope with COVID over the winter by relying on vaccinations rather than mandating masks or lockdowns.
"Too many people believe that this pandemic is now over. I personally feel there are some hard months to come in the winter and it is not over," Jonathan Van-Tam told BBC TV, adding that behavior and uptake of booster shots would determine the severity.
"Christmas and indeed all of the darker winter months are potentially going to be problematic".