Another 314 deaths were reported, bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 158,677.
The rise in cases brings the total number of infections to 17,932,803.
Infections have fallen by 29 per cent in a fortnight in a sign that the Omicron wave may finally be receding. However, they are up slightly on Monday’s total of 57,623.
The daily case total is based on positive lab-confirmed PCR tests in all four nations of the UK, plus most positive lateral flow tests reported in England and all lateral flow tests reported in Northern Ireland.
A further 32,627 booster vaccinations were given out on Monday, bringing the total to 37,586,043.
And another 22,861 second doses of the vaccine were administered - meaning 48,617,355 Britons are now double jabbed.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics showed a total of 182,136 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The highest number on a single day was 1,485 on January 19 2021. During the first wave of the virus, the daily toll peaked at 1,461 on April 8 2020.
Tuesday’s figures came shortly after health secretary Sajid Javid set out a plan for dealing with the backlog of NHS care caused by the Covid pandemic in an address to the House of Commons.
The NHS waiting list in England will not start to fall for at least another two years and could even double in size, according to the Government’s new recovery plan.
Around six million people in England are on the NHS waiting list for treatment, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and tests.
According to the plan, if all 10 million people estimated to have stayed away during the pandemic came forward for treatment, and activity was not increased above pre-pandemic levels, the waiting list could hit 14 million.
