Britain reported a record number of COVID-19 cases for a second consecutive day on Thursday, as infections with the Omicron variant continue to spread.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging people to get a booster vaccine shot.

Authorities reported 88,376 new confirmed cases on Thursday. That's up by about 10,000 from Wednesday.

Officials say that 11,708 people have been infected with the Omicron variant so far. They estimate that Omicron cases account for about 74 percent of the infections in London.

The army is helping to give the booster doses.

So far, more than 25.4 million people -- or about 38 percent of Britain's population -- have received booster shots.

On Thursday, Johnson rejected speculation that there will be another lockdown. He noted that the fastest route back to normality is to get a booster.

Concern is mounting that if infections continue to spread at the current pace, Britain's economy and health care system could be negatively affected.