Covid: 'Infection rates have grown rapidly among teens and young adults' according to Office for National Statistics
Daily infections of coronavirus in England is more than double that of last week with the "highest rates" in older teenagers and young adults, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There were an average of 17,200 new cases per day of Covid-19 in private households in England between September 25 and October 1, compared to 8,400 the previous week, the ONS said.
The statistics suggest there has been a "marked increase" in new cases over the last six weeks with a particularly high level of infection among older teens and young adults.
"Rates have grown very rapidly" among young people aged from school year 12 through to 24 years old, the ONS said. The second highest rates are for the secondary school age group (school years seven to 11).
The figures come as the government is poised to announce further local restrictions in England - and with infections among students soaring.
Many cities across the UK with the highest number of Covid-19 cases were areas that are typically popular with students.
Thousands of students have been forced to self-isolate at dozens of universities following outbreaks.
Increases are apparent across other age groups, but “to a much lesser extent”, the report said.
The analysis shows "clear evidence" of variation in Covid-19 infection rates across the regions of England, with the highest rates in north-east England, north-west England, and Yorkshire and the Humber, which have all seen steep increases in recent weeks.
Smaller increases have occurred in all other regions except for south-east England (outside London).
In Wales, an estimated 6,100 people in private households had Covid-19 between September 25 and October 1 – the equivalent of 0.20% of the population, or around one in 500 people. Similar figures are estimated for infection rates in Northern Ireland.
The ONS estimated a total of 224,400 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between September 25 and October 1, the equivalent of around 0.41% of the population.
The figures, which do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings, show a sharp increase from the previous week where 116,600 people, or 0.21% of the population, were estimated to have Covid-19.