One in 50 people in England had coronavirus between December 27 and January 2, according to new figures.

This is the equivalent of around 2.06% of the population, or 1.1 million people, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It came as the number of daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK topped 60,000 for the first time.

The Government said there had been a further 60,916 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Tuesday.

In London an estimated one in 30 people in private households had Covid-19 between December 27 and January 2, the ONS said.

The figure for south-east England, eastern England and north-west England is estimated to be one in 45; for the East Midlands it is one in 50; for north-east England one in 60; and for the West Midlands and Yorkshire & the Humber one in 65.

For south-west England the estimate is one in 135.

The figures are from the latest update of the ONS Covid-19 infection survey.

The ONS figures represent a rise from 800,900 people, or one in 70, who were estimated to have Covid-19 in the period December 17 to 23.

The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

Professor Chris Whitty said that one in 50 people being estimated to have coronavirus across the UK is “really quite a large number indeed”.

England’s chief medical officer told the Downing Street press conference, citing ONS estimates, said that the second lockdown brought down rates.

“But then we had the problems with the new variant and the worst period of winter combining to lead to a significant increase since that time. And we’re now into a situation where, across the country as a whole, roughly one in 50 people have got the virus,” he continued.

“One in 50 is really quite a large number indeed.”