Covid infections rise by 14% in UK and now top a million

Covid infections in the UK are rising and have topped more than one million, according to official estimates.

There has been a 14% rise in people testing positive in the week to 20 September – the biggest increase since the summer.

But there is no clear evidence of an autumn Covid wave starting, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

More recent data showing a rise in hospital admissions with Covid has been called “a wake-up call”.

Dr Thomas Waite, deputy chief medical officer for England, said that a number of new sub-variants of Omicron were circulating at low levels, and could be behind the hospital figures.

Daily hospital admissions are lower than where they were for much of July, but highest among the oldest age groups.

“The fact there are people getting so seriously ill they need to go into hospital is a wake-up call to us all that Covid is still here,” said Dr Waite.