Covid cases rise to 3.5 million in the UK, figures show

Figures from Office for National Statistics show 29 per cent rise in infections

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Covid infections in the UK are continuing to rise, reaching 3.5 million last week, the latest figure show.

This marks a jump of nearly 800,000 (or 29 per cent) on the previous week, ending 30 June, when 2.7 million people were estimated to have been infected with Covid-19, according to the Office for National Statistics.

3.5 million is the highest estimate for total infections since mid-April, but is still below the record high of 4.9 million that was reached at the end of March.

The recent surge in Covid infections has been driven by the highly infectious Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are outcompeting other strains in the UK.

Covid-19 remains most prevalent in Scotland, where 334,000 people were estimated to have had the virus in the week to July 7, or around one in 16. This is up from 312,800, or one in 17, and is the highest estimate for Scotland since the start of April.

In England, 2.9 million people were likely to have had the virus last week, the equivalent of around one in 19. This is up from 2.2 million, or one in 25, the previous week.

Wales has seen infections jump to 183,500, or one in 17 people, up from 149,700, or one in 20. In Northern Ireland, infections have increased to an estimated 107,600 people, or one in 17, up from 98,400, or one in 19.

Separately, new data from GoodShape, an absence management company, shows that Covid-related absences cost UK employers £291.3 million in the last week alone, an increase of 29 per cent on the previous week.

In total, 2.12 million working days were lost to reasons relating to Covid between 4 July and 10 July.