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New coronavirus cases could reach 6,000 a day in England, with “clear evidence” of an increase in positive tests in those under 35, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS found that infection rates were highest in the North West and London, based on random tests of thousands of people in households.
Figures are for the week ending September 10.
Measures could soon be introduced throughout New England to reduce cases.
This follows a sharp rise in new daily lab-confirmed cases in the UK to 3,395 in the past two weeks and ongoing problems with the government’s test and trace program, leading people to have difficulties accessing tests.
Cases of the virus and hospital admissions for Covid-19 are now believed to double every seven to eight days in the UK.
The Covid Symptom Study app, which tracks the health of four million people in the UK, estimates that there are around 7,500 new cases of Covid every day for the past two weeks.
Its latest figures show an increase in cases in London for the first time since June.
Professor Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the app, said it was “a disturbing picture”, adding that it appears “to be the beginning of a second wave.”
The ONS infection survey, which has been producing weekly estimates of virus cases since April, assesses people whether they have symptoms or not.
This makes it one of the most accurate pictures of infection levels in England and Wales, although it still has a considerable margin of uncertainty.
Its latest figures are based on more than 200,000 swab tests performed over the past six weeks.
Out of 136 positive tests, children ages 2 to 11 and youth ages 17 to 34 had the highest infection rates.
Data from Wales suggest that there are currently “relatively stable” Covid-19 cases, with an estimated one in 2,000 people testing positive.
But the ONS said the results in Wales should be interpreted with caution due to the small amount of evidence in the sample.
