Around 1.2 million people in England were likely infected with Covid-19 last week, representing 1 in 45 of the population and a new pandemic record as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, official estimates showed.

London was worst hit with an estimated 1 in 30 people infected with the coronavirus last week, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics.

In the previous two weeks, an estimated 1 in 60 people in England were infected. The records date back to May 2020, so do not cover the peak of the initial wave of the pandemic, Reuters reports.

Omicron is likely by now the dominant variant circulating in England, the analysis suggested.

People, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of Covid-19, arrive at and depart from St Thomas' hospital in central London on December 23. — AFP
People, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of Covid-19, arrive at and depart from St Thomas' hospital in central London on December 23. — AFP

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