The UK has seen its highest number of daily coronavirus cases recorded since mid-June, after a further 1,522 people tested positive.
The jump, which is the highest daily case number since June 12 at 1,541, brings the total to 330,368.
It comes as a further 12 people died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.
The Government said 41,477 people had died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, an increase of 12 on the day before.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 57,200 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Regionally, seven people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,531, NHS England said on Thursday.
Four deaths were reported in the north west, two in London and one in the north east and Yorkshire.
The patients were aged between 77 and 90, and all had known underlying health conditions.
Another six deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Meanwhile, no new coronavirus deaths have been reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
A total of 2,494 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus.
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Speaking during the Scottish Government’s daily briefing, the First Minister said 20,056 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 68 from 19,988 the day before.
Nine of these new cases are in the Grampian health board area, 21 in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, eight in Lanarkshire and 15 in Tayside.
There are 257 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, an increase of eight in 24 hours.
Of these patients, two were in intensive care, no change from the previous day.
The R number in Scotland - the average number of people infected by each person with the virus - is still estimated to be between 0.8 and 1.2, Ms Sturgeon said.
Public Health Wales said another person has died having tested positive for coronavirus, bringing its total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,595.
The number of cases of Covid-19 in Wales increased by 35, bringing the revised confirmed total to 17,843.
In Northern Ireland, one new death was reported, but it did not occur in the last 24 hours, health officials said.
Another 69 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the seven-day total to 418.
One patient with coronavirus is on a ventilator in hospital in Northern Ireland.
