The UK has reported another 35,707 Covid cases and 29 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period.
It is the highest number of infections since 22 January when 40,261 cases were recorded.
Friday’s figures compare to 32,551 infections and 35 deaths reported on Thursday.
96,430 people had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK on Thursday, taking the total to 45,697,875.
And 175,467 people had their second jab, meaning 34,374,246 are now fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, England’s R number rose slightly to between 1.2 and 1.5 and infections rates increased sharply across the UK.
The R number – which represents the average number of people each person who has Covid goes on to infect – was between 1.1 and 1.3 last week.
The current estimate means that, on average, every 10 people infected will go on to infect between 12 and 15 others.