he UK has recorded 40,224 more Covid-19 cases over a 24-hour period – the highest figure in five weeks.
The latest figures released by the government on Monday shows that 265,934 infections have been picked up in the past seven days, an 11.2 per cent rise on the previous week.
The daily figure is the highest the UK has seen since Monday, September 6, when 40,801 cases were reported.
It brings Britain’s Covid-19 infection rate to 354.6 per 100,000 population, one of the highest in Europe – exceeded by only a handful of countries including Serbia, Lithuania and Latvia.
Twenty eight more fatalities with 28 days of a positive Covid test have been reported.
That compares with 111 two Mondays ago and appears to suggest the continuation of a downward trend in daily deaths since towards the end of September.
Meanwhile, government data up to October 10 shows that of the 94,376,101 Covid jabs given in the UK, 49,186,920 were first doses, a rise of 22,106 on the previous day.
Some 45,189,181 were second doses, an increase of 19,451.
