Britain recorded a further 11,625 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases on Tuesday — the highest number since mid-February — amid concerns at the spread of the Delta variant.
Daily figures also show a further 27 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the UK total to 128,008.
The case numbers are the highest since 13 February, when the country was emerging from the second wave.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Meanwhile, daily Covid-19 vaccination figures for Monday will not be provided until Wednesday, NHS England said after a system crash which left medics using a pen and paper to record jabs.
Daily figures are usually provided the following day but on Tuesday an update on the NHS England website said: “Following the IT issue that was reported to the NHS yesterday (21 June), the daily Covid-19 statistics will be updated tomorrow, while vaccinations recorded yesterday are updated to the digital system. The issue is now resolved and there has been no impact on vaccinations taking place.”
It comes as Nicola Sturgeon confirmed a three-week delay to the easing of coronavirus restrictions across Scotland, as she said no part of the country will change level next week.
In England, lockdown restrictions are unlikely to extend beyond 19 July as early data looks “encouraging”, health secretary Matt Hancock said.
