Fears of a deadly third wave of coronavirus could become a reality as cases continue to rise across the country.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the lifting of the last of the coronavirus restrictions today.
It is expected the last restrictions will be eased on Monday, July 19, sending life "back to normal" and how it was before the pandemic hit in March last year.
The Prime Minister is set to relax restrictions and outline what will happen on "Freedom Day" next week.
The Government is to scrap the rule that masks must be worn in busy indoor venues and on public transport – but ask people to keep wearing them anyway.
Work-from-home guidance is also due to be axed next week. Nightclubs are expected to reopen and larger events will be given the green light to go ahead, with many thankful that there will be no legal limit on events such as weddings.
However, figures show that coronavirus case numbers are now at their highest since February.
A total of 154,262 new confirmed cases were recorded in England in the seven days to July 4, according to Public Health England – the equivalent of 274.1 cases per 100,000 people.
This is up from 172.9 per 100,000 one week earlier, and is the highest rate of new cases since January 28.
Case rates in all regions of England are now at their highest level since at least February.
North-east England is recording the highest rate, with 613.4 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to July 4.
This is the highest rate for the region since comparable figures began in summer 2020, when mass testing was first introduced across the country.
All other regions are recording their highest rate since late January or early February this year, except for Yorkshire and the Humber where the rate is the highest since mid-November last year.
Case rates are also continuing to rise for all age groups, with 20 to 29-year-olds recording the highest rate of 614.3 cases per 100,000 people.
It is the highest rate for this age group since the week to January 17.
Both five to nine-year-olds (248.6 cases per 100,000) and 10 to 19-year-olds (578.6) are now recording their highest rates since comparable figures began.
Of the 315 local areas in England, 304 (97%) are currently recording a week-on-week rise in cases rates and only 11 (3%) have seen a fall.
Around one in 160 people in private households had Covid-19 in the week to July 3 – up from one in 260 in the previous week, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is the highest level since the week to February 19.
The percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 is estimated to have increased in all regions, with north-east and north-west England having the highest proportion of people likely to test positive in the most recent week: around one in 80.
Eastern England had the lowest estimate: around one in 350.
When modelling the level of infection among different age ranges in England, the ONS said rates have increased for all groups.
Around one in 45 people from school year 12 to age 24 are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to July 3, the highest positivity rate for any age group.
The number of patients in hospital who have tested positive for coronavirus has also risen.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 2,209 as of July 8, according to the latest figures from NHS England.
This is up 42% from a week earlier and is the highest since April 9. However, this number has not yet reached the heights of the peak of the second wave on January 18 where there were 34,336 Covid-19 patients in hospital.
Despite the rising numbers, the amount of people having had their vaccination is high.
Around 86 per cent of adults in England are estimated to have received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, with around 65 per cent having had both doses.
Latest estimates from Public Health England suggest vaccinations have directly averted over 46,300 hospital admissions in England, while the direct and indirect impact of the vaccination programme is believed to have prevented somewhere between 7.5 and 8.9 million infections.
It is also estimated to have prevented between 29,000 and 31,800 deaths, although these are rising still.
The number of deaths stood at 21 as of July 8, up from 14 a week earlier and 12 the week before that, but the number of deaths recorded are a lot lower than those reported during the second wave's peak.
The seven-day average for reported deaths peaked at 1,135 on January 23.
Despite the lower numbers, some scientists fear there will soon be 100,000 daily infections. Cambridge University statistician Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter said yesterday: “Unless tomorrow an immediate lockdown is announced – which I think is pretty unlikely – there’s bound to be a big wave of cases coming up.
“It was predictable right from the start of the roadmap announcement back in February... 100,000 a day is quite possible, and relaxing everything at once on July 19 will only make that more likely.”
The Prime Minister will announce the latest development in a press conference at 5pm today.
