Sweden has set a new daily record for Covid-19 cases for the third time this week, registering 23,877 cases on January 5, health agency data shows, as a fourth wave sweeps the country and piles pressure on its healthcare system.

The mounting wave of Covid-19 cases is increasingly driven by the more contagious Omicron variant and has seen hospitalisations rise rapidly in many parts of the country, although deaths have remained relatively stable so far, reports Reuters.

The fresh wave of Covid-19 cases has combined with the strain of seasonal flu admissions and large numbers of staff being off sick or isolating to heap pressure on healthcare services that are being tested by repeated virus outbreaks.