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More than 103,000 people in England are estimated to have had coronavirus in the week ending September 19, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The figure is almost double from the previous week (September 4-10) when it was 59,800.
Equivalent to about one in 500 people who test positive for COVID-19According to the ONS, compared to one in 900 the week before.
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There were about 9,600 cases per day for the week through Sept. 19, up from 6,000 per day the previous week, according to the organization.
Infections in Wales are estimated to have increased sevenfold, from 1,500 to 10,800, which is equivalent to one in 300 people.
The figures correspond to infections registered in the community and exclude hospitals, residences and other institutional settings.
The ONS said there was evidence of higher infection rates in North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London and the North East.
He said the West and East Midlands were also showing a small increase.
The survey covers Northern Ireland for the first time, where the ONS estimated that around one in 300 people had the virus there in the two weeks to September 19.
Scotland is not covered by the weekly study, but on Friday the country set a record for new daily cases.
Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said 558 people tested positive in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 26,518.
It comes a day after NHS England launched its contract tracking app, where users have access to postcode district risk level alerts.
The app has revealed that no local area in England is considered a low-risk location, “to reflect the general increase in the infection rate across the country,” according to the NHS.
In areas with high levels of risk, local authorities, or a neighboring local authority, are implementing additional measures to reduce the transmission rate, such as a local lockdown.
The national list in England most recently only highlighted 44 areas for intervention, with three in enhanced support and 11 flagged as cause for concern.
More than a million downloads of the app have been recorded among Android users on the Google Play Store, and the Health Department is expected to announce the exact download numbers on Android and iOS on Monday.
Friday’s data was revealed after a joint statement by UK nations confirmed the start of a second wave, and after the coronavirus alert level was raised from 3 to 4.
The statement said: “Cases are increasing rapidly and we must take steps to stop an exponential increase that could overwhelm our health services and aim to bring R back below 1 while minimizing the impact on the economy and society.” .
A group representing London city councils also said the capital was now on the national coronavirus watch list.
