The number of people testing positive for Covid has risen by 32,367 in 24 hours as a further 34 people died after contracting the virus.
Today's figures, confirmed by the Department of Health, come just nine days before England's "Freedom Day" - which will see coronavirus restrictions lifted on July 19.
It is the fourth day in a row that the figure has topped 30,000, with yesterday's 35,707 the highest daily total since January 22.
In the past seven days 213,528 cases have been confirmed, a 30 per cent week-on-week rise.
There have been 192 Covid deaths in that time, bringing the official death toll since the start of the pandemic to 128,399.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that by July 19, the day restrictions are lifted in England, the number of daily cases could hit 50,000 - and experts say this could double in the coming weeks.
Earlier this week Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned the daily number of cases could top 100,000 over the summer - but said the link between infections and hospitalisations and deaths had been "severely weakened".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “By the time we get to [July] 19 we would expect case numbers by then to be at least double what they are now, so around 50,000 new cases a day.
“As we ease and go into the summer, we expect them to rise significantly and they could go as high as 100,000 case numbers.
“We want to be very straightforward about this in terms of what we can expect from case numbers.
“But what matters more than anything is hospitalisation and death numbers and that is where the link is being severely weakened.”
On Thursday there were just over 2,700 people in hospital with Covid-19, Department of Health data shows.
Yesterday The Mirror reported that daily Covid cases have trebled since England's aborted Freedom Day on June 21 as the Delta variant fuels a massive rise.
On that day, the Department of Health confirmed 10,467 people had contracted the virus.
The PM announced that the rise meant the easing of restrictions would have to be postponed so more people could be vaccinated.
Today the government said 45,786,550 people have been given a first jab, while 34,541,129 have had a second - more than 65 per cent of adults.
At the start of Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown in March, infections had fallen to less than 5,000 a day.
There has also been a slight increase in the number of hospitalisations and deaths - but thanks to the vaccine programme these are nowhere near the levels seen in previous peaks.
There are currently less than a third of the number of patients being treated in hospital with coronavirus as there were back in March, when nearly 9,500 people were hospitalised.
People going to pubs, restaurants and nightclubs will have to show Covid-19 certificates later this year, it is claimed.
Under plans being drawn up by the government, people will have to prove they've been vaccinated or tested negative the previous day, according to The Times.
The controversial "vaccine passports" could reportedly be put in place by the autumn, with entertainment venues forced to comply.
Those who do not provide the necessary proof will not be allowed in, sources told the newspaper.
A Downing Street source said: “In autumn vaccine passports could become an important tool that will allow us to keep things open.”
