Cases of coronavirus rose by a third last week mainly due to infections with the Omicron variant, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS said the latest rise in cases was likely to have been caused by increases in infections caused by recent Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.
In the week prior, just 2.5% of the population was estimated to be infected, which rose to 3.35% of the population in the week ending 24 June.
The incidence of Covid-19 has been rising since the beginning of May, with last week’s estimates more than double the 1.46% of the population who were believed to be infected with the disease in the final week of May.
Last week, the ONS estimates that one in 30 people in both England and Wales tested positive for the virus.
Cases have been rising gradually following a spike in cases from mid-March to early April.
The highest death rates from the virus last year were recorded in London, with roughly 153.1 deaths per every 100,000 infections. The South West of England had the lowest mortality rate for the disease.
Diabetes was the most common pre-existing condition associated with deaths from the disease, particularly in patients aged over 65.
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN) (AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN)) today said it had signed a new three-year agreement with Oxford BioMedica PLC (LSE:OXB) (Oxford BioMedica PLC (LSE:OXB)) to manufacture more of its Covid-19 vaccine.