The ONS data shows infections have jumped more than 30% in a week. Around 2.3m people in the UK had coronavirus in the week ending on 24 June.

This is up by about 32% from around 1.7m the week before.

The ONS says that this is likely caused by infections compatible with Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

That's about 3.5% of the population testing positive for Covid (roughly one in 30 people), up from roughly one in 35 the week before.

The rate of people testing positive for Covid-19 has continued to increase across the UK, the Office for National Statistics says.

In both England and Wales about one in 30 people would have had coronavirus in the week ending 24 June, data just released says.

In Northern Ireland it was about 1 in 25 and in Scotland the rate was about 1 in 18.

As we've been saying, we'll be getting the latest estimates for how many people in the UK are infected with Covid at 12:00.

These will come from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data is based on a random selection of tens of thousands of people taking Covid tests, regardless of whether they had symptoms.

Because far fewer people are testing for Covid, official daily figures are no longer an accurate snapshot of how many people are infected. These weekly figures from the ONS are seen as the most reliable indicator of the Covid infection situation.

Last week the figures showed the number of people testing positive with coronavirus was rising - with one in 35 people having Covid in the week ending 18 June. Because the data always lags by a week, today's data will give us a number for the week ending 25 June.

It's worth noting, the ONS says there is a higher degree of uncertainty in its estimates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - compared to its data for England.

Are we in a fifth wave?published at 11:49 British Summer Time 1 July 2022

11:49 BST 1 July 2022

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent

The number of people catching Covid is, without doubt, increasing once again.

However, there is no scientific definition for what counts as a "wave" so counting them can get messy.

Do you just look at raw numbers? Nearly five million people had coronavirus in late March, but that only dropped to around 1 million in May before rising again. Some would argue that counts as one big wave, others that we've now started a new one.

Or do you look at variants and say we've had waves of the original variant, Alpha, Delta, Omicron, BA.2 and now BA.4 and BA.5 coming together?

Ultimately, what counts is how many people are catching the virus and how many end up needing hospital treatment and we are back in a phase where both of those numbers are rising.

Jim Reed
Health reporter

The latest figures suggest that 98% of people in the UK now have some level of Covid antibodies, either because they have been infected, vaccinated or both.

That protection limits the number getting very sick from the disease.

In England almost 9,000 hospital beds were taken up with Covid patients on 30 June.

The number has more than doubled since the start of June but is still well below the record high of 34,366 we saw in January 2021.

Data from the other UK nations is not as up-to-date but suggests a similar rise over the last month.

It’s important to remember though that around two-thirds of patients who test positive in hospital are being treated not primarily for Covid but for another reason.

Looking just at the sickest Covid patients - 211 are currently on a ventilator in England to support their breathing.

Again the number has risen from a low of 111 at the start of June but is still well below the 3,736 seen in January 2021 when intensive care units were in real danger of being overwhelmed.

Image source, .

Image source, .

Michelle Roberts
Online health editor

We've had the Jubilee celebrations and Glastonbury crowds. And this weekend will see around 400,000 people head to the Silverstone Circuit for the British Grand Prix.

Viruses can spread when people gather and mix. The risk of catching or passing Covid on is greatest when someone who is infected is physically close to, or sharing an enclosed or poorly ventilated space with, other people.

While no-one is suggesting bringing in new curbs on social events, experts do advise that if you have any symptoms of a respiratory infection, and a high temperature or feel unwell, try to stay at home or away from others.

Image source, Getty Images

Smitha Mundasad
Health reporter

People are most likely to pass on in the infection early on in the course of having Covid.

Some will pass on the virus two to three days before even testing positive for it and people are generally infectious for a number of days after.

Just how long you remain infectious will vary from person to person and depend on a number of factors.

Most children seem to have a shorter infectious period than adults for example. Official UK advice, external suggests many adults are no longer infectious to others after five days from the start of their infection.

But others can be infectious for up to 10 days or even longer still.

Experts say you should avoid meeting people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from Covid for at least 10 days after a positive test.

Image source, PA Media

Chief Medical Adviser at the Health Security Agency Dr Susan Hopkins has told the BBC "we all have to take trade-offs and decisions" with rising Covid numbers.

She says more than half the people in hospital who have Covid lately are coming in for another issue and coronavirus is diagnosed as an "incidental finding".

"That's showing that the amount of infection that's circulating in the community doesn't necessarily all progress to severe disease," she says. "But many of these people need to come into hospital for other conditions and that means that there is still a significant burden on healthcare delivery.

"I think it's far from a bad cold."

People with symptoms of a respiratory infection should avoid other people, Dr Hopkins says.

"Avoid going to those festivals, avoid going to events and avoid indoor places because that increases the risk of transmission in all of those places."

"I look at the events I'm going to and say whether they are necessary at this high level of prevalence. I think we all have to take trade-offs and decisions."

Image source, .

Last week, official Covid stats showed a continued uptick in UK infections. Covid cases are up 20% week on week.

As we've been telling you, experts think the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants are driving these numbers.

People can catch the newer variants even if they have had coronavirus recently.

UK health experts are expecting numbers to continue to rise - we'll find out at midday what the latest picture is, from the Office for National Statistics.

Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, who until recently was England's deputy chief medical officer, has told the BBC the country is in a different situation from the peaks in infections earlier in the year.

The professor, who is now pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Nottingham's faculty of medicine and health sciences, said last week it was time to start reassessing how we think about Covid, thanks to the success of vaccines.

He did add though that experts would continue to watch closely for any large rises in severe illness and more people ending up in hospital or intensive care.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

Ever since it first emerged, Covid has been mutating or shape-shifting, creating new versions of the virus known as variants and subvariants. And it is two new fast-spreading subvariants that are currently causing fresh surges of infections around the world.

BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron were first spotted circulating in South Africa at the beginning of the year.

Now they are spreading far, and fast. Even if you have caught Covid recently and have been fully vaccinated, you can still catch them.

They are already behind more than half of new Covid cases in England. But the good news is vaccines are still doing a great job at protecting against severe illness.

Catching Covid can still be serious, but it’s causing fewer deaths now.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage, as we wait for latest figures on Covid infections in the UK.

Cases have been rising lately, with experts saying two new fast-spreading subvariants could be behind the rise.

Here's what you need to know:

• At 12:00 we'll get the latest stats on infections from the Office for National Statistics
• The figures will show the percentage of people testing positive in private households. These statistics are seen as the most reliable indicator of the level of Covid infection in the community
• Last week, data showed the number of people with Covid was continuing to go up – with about one in 35 infected
• Fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron are likely to be driving up the numbers, experts say
• You can still catch these new variants even if you've had coronavirus recently
• However, the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are not thought to be more lethal than other types of Covid, and vaccines are still protecting people and saving lives