Rates of Covid infection have hit a record high in the UK, official data showed, just as free government testing ended for millions in England.

Some 4.9 million people in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, or 600,000 more than the previous week, the latest survey by the Office for National Statistics said.

It said one in 13 people in England are estimated to have had Covid during that week, up from one in 16 the week before, AFP reported.

“The rapid rise continues to be fuelled by the growth of the Omicron BA.2 variant across the UK,” ONS senior statistician Kara Steel said.