Covid infections have increased among all adults over 25 in most areas of England, with an estimated 1.4 million people testing positive in the week of February 14.
This is up by 17% from 1.2 million cases in the previous week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Covid infections peaked in December 2022 , with three million people testing positive for the virus, putting immense pressure on hospitals before Christmas.
After this figures fell for the majority of January before the rise in recent weeks.
Around one in 45 people in England are estimated to have coronavirus, this is the highest figure seen since the beginning of January.
The rate of Covid hospital admissions in England has reached its peak this year with a 15% rise from the previous week. There were 9.4 admissions per 100,000 people in the week to February 19, NHS data shows, up from 7.9 admissions per 100,000 people the previous week.
The cause of the current increase is driven by the Omicron variant BA.2.75 which overtook BA.5 and its subvariant as the main type of Coronavirus in the UK, the ONS stated.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, the now dominant variant of the virus accounts for nearly 74.5% of infections.
Dr Mary Ramsay, UKHSA head of immunisation, said: “Hospital admission rates for Covid-19 are continuing to increase, particularly among those aged 65 and over. You can help by regularly washing your hands or staying at home and avoiding vulnerable people if you are unwell.
“If you do have to leave the house, please consider wearing a face covering, which can help prevent you from passing respiratory viruses on.”