Covid infections have risen in the UK for the first time in two months, data released today reveals.
A total of 989,800 people in private homes are estimated to have had the virus last week - up from 953,900 the previous week.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that one in 70 people in England had the virus last week, compared to one in 75 in Wales, one in 65 in Northern Ireland and just one in 40 in Scotland.
The jump is likely caused by increases in cases compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1 and the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5, experts said.
The sharpest rise was in adults aged 35 to 49, the figures show, although cases have risen in younger age groups as well.
The North West, London and the South East all saw a week-on-week rise, although cases dropped in the West Midlands and South West.
Yesterday The Mirror reported that there has been an increase in patients with the virus in England.
Latest NHS England figures show that of the 3,946 patients in hospital with Covid on Tuesday, 1,380 were being treated primarily for the virus.
Two months earlier on April 7, 6,426 patients were being treated primarily for Covid out of 15,123 overall Covid patients.
The ONS data is based on a random sample of households across the UK, allowing health chiefs to monitor transmission rates.
Latest Department of Health data shows that 38,511 people have tested positive for Covid in the past week in England, an 8.5 per cent compared to the previous seven days.
There have been 279 deaths within 28 days of a positive test in that time.
