Tests in thousands of households by the Office for National Statistics found a rise in positive tests among young people, but not in those over 50.

Estimates suggest there were 3,200 new cases a day during the first week of September, compared to 2,000 the week before.

People are tested whether they have symptoms or not. The study does not cover people staying in hospitals or care homes - only in the community*.

Figures from the Covid symptom study app also suggest a growth in new cases since the end of August - the first time since mid-June there has been a significant rise in numbers. However the virus is still at much lower levels than at the peak of the pandemic in April.

Katherine Kent, from the ONS infection survey, said the results suggested "an increase in Covid-19 infections in England during recent weeks with higher infection rates among 17-34 year olds".

But in England, it estimates that 39,700 people were infected with the virus between 30 August and 5 September - 11,000 more than the previous week's estimate.

New cases of coronavirus could be hitting 6,000 a day in England, with "clear evidence" of a rise in positive tests in the under-35s, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS found infection rates were higher in the North West and London, based on random testing of thousands of people in households.

This follows a sharp rise in new daily UK lab-confirmed cases to 3,395 over the last two weeks and ongoing problems with the government's test and trace programme, leading to people struggling to access tests. The figures are for the week to 10 September.

Cases of the virus and hospital admissions for Covid-19 are now thought to be doubling every seven to eight days in the UK. The Covid Symptom Study app, which tracks the health of four million people in the UK, estimates there are around 7,500 new cases of Covid every day over the last two weeks.

Prof Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London and app founder, said it was "a worrying picture", adding it appears "to be the start of a second wave".

The ONS infection survey, which has been producing weekly estimates of virus cases since April, tests people whether they have symptoms or not.

This makes it one of the most accurate pictures of levels of infection in England and Wales, although it still has a considerable margin of uncertainty.

Its latest figures are based on more than 200,000 swab tests taken over the last six weeks.

My son and his family are taking part in the ONS survey, I only found out last week.

Interesting - would you mind asking them for some feedback?

Are the visits uncomfortable, intrusive, informal, etc.?

Knowing my son and DIL the visits will be friendly and informal
They live an 'informal' existence in a farmhouse surrounded by children, dogs, cats,chickens and even bats in a special bat loft...

The number of people in England who have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued to increase in recent weeks.

An estimated 103,600 people within the community population in England had COVID-19 during the latest week, from 13 to 19 September 2020, equating to around 1 in 500 people.

By region, there is evidence of higher infection rates in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, London and North East.

Between 13 and 19 September 2020, there were around 1.75 new COVID-19 infections for every 10,000 people per day in the community population in England, equating to around 9,600 new cases per day.

We have just received ours this morning. Not quite sure what to do about it. We need to ask our relatives and friends, if they are going to participate, and make a decision soon. Must say the £50 voucher sounds tempting, but they did'nt say what shop it was for. They only thing that worries me, is having a swab stuck up my hooter. People have said that having it done is quite painful.