The UK has reported 24,248 new cases of coronavirus - the highest figure on a Sunday since late January - and a further 15 deaths in the latest 24-hour period.
Sunday's case total is a rise of 63 per cent on the 14,876 infections reported on June 27 and a 161 per cent increase compared with the total a fortnight ago (9,284 cases were confirmed on June 20).
It is the highest increase on a Sunday since 30,004 cases were recorded on January 24, when the UK was in its second wave of the pandemic.
Amid the surge in cases, hospitalisations have increased by almost 25 per cent in a week, though the vaccination campaign has helped to keep that total well below the first and second waves.
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A further 15 deaths - up from 11 on June 27 and six on June 20 - has brought the Government's official toll to 128,222.
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.
Deaths have remained relatively flat for weeks, as older and highly vulnerable Britons were among the first to receive jabs to protect them against Covid.
More than half of Britons have now received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine, with 33,614,952 people being double-jabbed as of Saturday.
The latest figures were revealed as a senior Government minister said life in England will “return to normality as far as possible” after July 19 as the country moves into the “final furlong” of coronavirus restrictions.
Reports suggest Boris Johnson will scrap social distancing requirements and make the wearing of face masks voluntary on so-called “Freedom Day”.
It is said the one metre-plus rule in hospitality venues will end, meaning a return to drinking at the bar without the requirement for table service.
Customers will no longer be asked to scan QR codes at pubs and restaurants.
Mass events, including festivals, will also be allowed under the proposals for the final stage of the road map out of lockdown, according to reports.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick appeared to all but confirm those reports as he said the impact of the vaccine on preventing serious illness meant it was time to “roll back” the “difficult” restrictions that have been in place for the past 16 months.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “It does look as if, thanks to the success of the vaccine programme, that we now have the scope to roll back those restrictions and return to normality as far as possible.”
Mr Jenrick said that, although cases were rising, they had not translated into “serious illness and death”, allowing the Government to be “positive” about unlocking on July 19.
“It does feel as if we are now in the final furlong, in a period in which we can start to live with the virus and move on with our lives,” he added.
Mr Jenrick – who pledged to get rid of his face covering when permitted – said the “State won’t be telling you what to do” as ministers look to move from legal enforcement to personal choice, with people exercising their own judgment on whether or not to carry on wearing masks.
The onus instead will be on ensuring that “every adult gets fully vaccinated” to guard against rising hospital admissions and deaths, he told the Sky News programme Trevor Phillips On Sunday.
