A total of 218 people in England and Wales died with Covid-19 in the week ending July 16 .
The figure is 19 per cent up on the previous week and the highest total since 260 deaths were recorded at the end of April.
But leading epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson said on Tuesday that cases were “plateauing” and predicted the pandemic will be largely over for the UK by the end of September if people remain cautious.
“The effect of vaccines has been huge in reducing the risks of hospitalisations and death,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. “I think I'm positive by late September, October time we will be looking back at most of the pandemic.”
It comes as health leaders warned the NHS is as stretched as it was during the peak of the second wave in January and the Government promised 1200 new testing sites.
