Coronavirus infections in the UK are estimated to have risen for the first time since March at the height of the Omicron wave. A total of 989,800 people in private households in the UK are estimated to have had the virus in the week ending June 2, up from 953,900 the previous week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It's the first time total infections have risen week-on-week since the end of March, when the number hit a record 4.9 million at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave. The rise is likely to have been caused by a jump in infections compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1, along with the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5.
It comes as separate figures suggest the recent drop in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 may also have come to a halt. All four nations have seen a slight rise in the prevalence of the virus, though the ONS describes the trend in Scotland and Wales as 'uncertain'.
