A total of 2.7 million people in private households were estimated to have had coronavirus in the last week of June – an 18% increase from 2.3 million the previous week. While it is the highest estimate for more than two months, it is still well below the UK record high of 4.9 million reported at the end of March. The increase appears to have been caused by people taking the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron, the ONS added. In the week ending June 29, the estimated number of people who tested positive in England was 2.15 million, or 3.95% of the population, the authority said. That equates to one in 25 of the population – up from 1.8 million or one in 30 the previous week. In Northern Ireland, the number who tested positive was 98,400 – around one in 19 people. That number has risen from 71,000, or one in 25. In Wales and Scotland the figures are for the week ending 30 June. The number of people testing positive in Wales was 149,700 – around 1 in 20 people, up from 106,000 or one in 30 the previous week. In Scotland it was 312,800 – about one in 17 inhabitants, out of 288,200 or one in 18. Evidence is obtained from PCR tests. In England, the number of people in hospital testing positive was 11,878 on July 7, up 33% week on week. Those requiring ventilator beds were 232 on July 7, a 10% week-on-week increase and the highest number for two months. However, it is still well below previous pandemic peaks.
