One in six areas in England now have their highest Covid rates since recording started a year ago - on the day legal restrictions are lifted.
New analysis found that 50 places - almost all local authority areas in North East England, close to a half in South West England and nearly a third in Yorkshire and the Humber - have their highest rates of the pandemic so far.
And the alarming Public Health England figures show that each of England's 315 local authority areas have a rate of more than 100 cases per 100,000 of the population.
It is the first time this has happened since January, at the height of the second wave.
In the past seven days more than 316,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK, a 43 per cent week-on-week rise.
There were 48,161 new cases confirmed yesterday by the Department of Health, nearly five times the numbers being announced a month ago.
Experts warn that this week soar in coming weeks as restrictions aimed at stopping the virus spreading are scrapped.
Face masks are no longer compulsory in shops and on public transport, limits on social gatherings have been scrapped, and work from home guidance has ended.
Analysis by the Press Association reveals the areas where coronavirus cases have reached record levels.
Places recording record Covid levels
North East
Redcar & Cleveland (1268.0 cases per 100,000 people - the highest anywhere in England); Middlesbrough (1,178.9); Hartlepool (1,061.3); Sunderland (1,036.7); Stockton-on-Tees (944.5); Darlington (863.3); County Durham (783.3); and Northumberland (674.6).
Yorkshire and The Humber
Doncaster (729.1), Wakefield (667.2), Leeds (599.4), Richmondshire (575.1), Hambleton (552.4) and East Riding of Yorkshire (517.9).
North West England
Blackpool, Chorley, Copeland, Fylde, Rochdale, South Lakeland, Stockport and Wyre.
South West England
Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, East Devon, Mendip, Mid Devon, North Devon, North Somerset, Plymouth, South Gloucestershire, South Hams, South Somerset, Torbay and Torridge.
East Midlands
Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, Gedling, High Peak, Newark & Sherwood, North East Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire and Rushcliffe.
West Midlands
Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Warwickshire, Solihull, Staffordshire Moorlands and Warwick.
England's overall rate of new cases currently stands at 425.3 per 100,000 people: the highest since January 19.
The third wave is also having a growing impact on hospitals.
The number of Covid-19 patients in some major hospital trusts in England has climbed back to around a third of the level seen at the peak of the second wave of the virus.
South Tyneside & Sunderland Foundation Trust reported 78 patients with Covid-19 on July 13 - the equivalent of 31% of its second-wave peak of 251.
The neighbouring Gateshead Health Foundation Trust reported 43 Covid-19 patients on the same day, or 30% of its second-wave peak of 141.
Levels are even higher in two of the largest trusts in north-west England.
Bolton Foundation Trust had 58 Covid-19 patients in hospital on July 13, 36% of its second-wave peak, while Manchester University Foundation Trust had 146 patients, 38% of its second-wave peak.
It comes as experts warn the number of daily cases could rise beyond 100,000 in coming days.
More than 316,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week, while hospital admissions have gone up by nearly 40 per cent in seven days.
The heads of 40 cancer charities have signed a letter calling on people to continue wearing masks and to show consideration for others, amid fears the most vulnerable will have their freedom limited.
They wrote: "Many of people will be looking forward to tomorrow as the day they get their “freedoms back”. But for many people with cancer, tomorrow will be a day when freedoms are taken away.
"This is because their cancer, or their treatment for cancer, means the vaccine, even after two doses, is less likely to protect them from serious illness from Covid than it is for the general public."
They added: We had hoped the Government would continue to insist people carry on wearing masks and social distancing in crowded places. But given the Government has decided not to do this, we are asking every person in England, knowing you already do so much for people with cancer through the financial support you give us, to do three things to help them further over the next few weeks
"Keep wearing masks in crowded places. There is good evidence they stop the spread, and for all you know, that person sitting a few seats down from you on the bus might be on their way to their chemotherapy appointment.
"Keep your distance from people you don’t know. There is no way of knowing if someone has cancer and so might be vulnerable to the virus, so it’s best to assume everyone you come into contact with might be.
"Get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already. Particularly for people with cancer who have a compromised immune system, the more people who are vaccinated, the safer they will be."
Speaking in a video posted on Twitter, Mr Johnson said: "Go forward tomorrow into the next step with all the right prudence and respect for other people and the risks that the disease continues to present.
“And, above all, please, please, please when you’re asked to get that second jab and get your jab, please come forward and do it."
