A further 51,870 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the UK while 48 people have died with the disease. This means over 100,000 new infections have been notified across Britain in the past two days, following 48,553 fresh cases yesterday.
Separate figures published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there have now been 154,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
It comes as England prepares to ease most coronavirus restrictions on Monday 19 July despite warnings by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) that the peak of the next wave "cannot be predicted with accuracy".