Around half of all new coronavirus cases in England could be the new variant discovered in the UK, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Concerns over the mutant strain, which scientists concluded was spreading more rapidly, mean millions of people in England will join those already under lockdown conditions from Boxing Day. An estimated 645,800 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between December 12 and 18, according to the ONS – the equivalent of around 1.18% of the population, or one in 85 people.