COVID-19 cases in England rose by 51,900 per day last week - ONS

LONDON (Reuters) - New COVID-19 cases in England increased by around 51,900 each day last week, up nearly 50% on the week before, an official survey said on Friday, suggesting that the incidence of new infections was still rising steeply and had not levelled off.

The ONS Infection Survey estimate was up from an estimated 35,200 new daily cases the week before, when the ONS had said there were signs of a levelling off in new infections.

"The most recent modelled estimate shows the number of infections in England continues to increase steeply," the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The ONS said 568,100 people had COVID-19 infections between 17 to 23 October, up from 433,300 the week before.

That equates to 1 in 100 people who had COVID-19 based on a modelled estimate of community prevalence, derived from samples of the population.

The ONS looks to estimate infection numbers in the community beyond those who have been tested, giving an estimate of prevalence that is unaffected by testing capacity.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)