Around one in 55 people in England are estimated to have had Covid in the week ending 16 October, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That’s an increase on the week before, when the figure was one in 60.
At the peak of the second wave in early January, around one in 50 were estimated to have coronavirus.
In Wales it is estimated one in 45 would have tested positive, while in Northern Ireland it was one in 130.
Scotland saw a decrease with around one in 90 estimated to have had Covid.
Meanwhile, the UK’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is being cited by world leaders as a perfect example – of what not to do.
At a recent press conference, Italian prime minister Mario Draghi singled out Britain’s handling of the pandemic, saying “all caution” has been “abandoned”.
The former European Central Bank president said the British approach, which involved a sudden lifting of restrictions on a July 19 “Freedom Day,” shows the need for nations to slowly reopen.
“The UK, one of the countries that conducted its vaccination campaign with great speed, after abandoning all caution, today has around 50,000 daily new cases and 200 dead yesterday,” Draghi said Wednesday, addressing Italy’s lower house of Parliament.
“The exit will need to be gradual,” said Draghi, who is guiding his country through a reopening in stages.
Related: Elevenses: COP Out
