Yahoo News Covid Infections Increase For First Time In Two Months – ONS
A hand holding a lateral flow test that shows a positive result. (Photo: Richard Baker via Getty Images)
Covid-19 infections in the UK have risen for the first time in two months, according to new figures.
The jump is thought to have been caused by increases in cases compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1 and the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5, according to the Office for National Statistics.
A total of 989,800 people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week, up from 953,900 the previous week - a jump of 35,900.
All four nations have seen a rise in infections, though the ONS describes the trend in Scotland and Wales as “uncertain”.
Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “Today’s data shows a mixed picture for infection rates across the UK, with small increases in England and Northern Ireland, likely driven by increasing trends in Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
“Infections with Omicron BA.2 remain the most common variant of Covid-19 and continue to decrease across much of the UK. We will continue to monitor the data closely.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.
