There were 570,550 positive cases in the UK in the week ending March 17, a huge 39% jump on the week before.
It has affected nearly all areas. Some 366 of the UK’s 380 local authorities (96%) saw cases rise in the past week, with two areas - Torridge in Devon and Burnley in Lancashire - seeing cases double.
The lifting of many restrictions, waning effectiveness of boosters and the spread of the highly contagious BA.2 ‘stealth Omicron’ variant have all been touted as potential reasons for rising infection rates.
At neighbourhood level, Covid-19 case rates have been published for the week to March 17.
Here are the neighbourhoods in Preston with the biggest rise in case rates in the past week.