The United Kingdom has recorded its most new coronavirus infections since early February as the National Health Service ran a “grab a jab” initiative to further drive up vaccination rates.

Government figures showed that another 18,270 people tested positive for the virus across the UK, the highest daily number since Feb 5. Over the past week, nearly 100,000 have tested positive, around 50 per cent increase up on the week before. That has raised questions over whether lockdown restrictions will end as planned.

Most of the new confirmed cases are among younger age groups that haven’t yet received Covid-19 vaccines. The latest spike came as hundreds of walk-in vaccination sites, including at stadiums and shopping centres, opened in England over the weekend in a bid to boost vaccine numbers, particularly among those younger age groups, according to an AP report.