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The weekly number of coronavirus cases in England at the end of August was the highest since the end of May, according to government figures.
A total of 6,732 new cases were confirmed between August 20 and 26, an increase of 6% from the previous week, data from the NHS Test and Trace showed.
But comparisons between recent and past cases must be made with caution.
The number of confirmed cases depends largely on the number of people and who gets tested.
This has changed significantly since the start of the pandemic, with a substantial increase in the number of tests processed each day.
Community testing has also expanded, whereas previously access was limited to symptomatic patients and key workers.
Early Thursday morning, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that cases in the UK remain “practically flat”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that stopping the broadcast “is going well” but that the government is still “very concerned” about the possibility of a second wave.
Mr. Hancock said the success in keeping cases low was due to the Test and Trace system working “effectively.”
Approximately 69.4% of close contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus were reached through Test and Trace in the week ending August 26, up from 77.1% the week before and the weekly percentage. lowest since system launch.
For the cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.3% of the contacts were reached and they were asked to self-isolate in the same period.
In comparison, 59.8% of contacts were reached in cases handled online or through call centers.
