There were 260,691 positive cases in the UK in the week ending March 3, a 2 per cent increase on the week before.
Some 186 of the UK’s local authority areas, 49 per cent, saw cases rise in the past week, with East Ayrshire in Scotland seeing a surge of 83.4 per cent.
The lifting of many restrictions, waning effectiveness of boosters and the spread of the highly contagious ‘stealth Omicron’ variant have all been touted as potential reasons for rising infection rates.
At neighbourhood level, Covid-19 case rates have been published for the week to March 3.
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1. Yeoman Hill & Maun Valley, Mansfield
Yeoman Hill & Maun Valley had 1056.7 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 162.5 per cent from the week before.
Photo: Google Maps
2. Ravenshead & Newstead
Ravenshead & Newstead had 1027 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 145.7 per cent from the week before.
Photo: Submitted
3. King's Walk, Berry Hill & Oakham
King's Walk, Berry Hill & Oakham had 990.7 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 79.7 per cent from the week before.
Photo: Victoria Childs
4. Grange Farm & Ladybrook
Grange Farm & Ladybrook had 959 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 68.3 per cent from the week before.
Photo: Google Maps