Cut through the noise by getting the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox The UK has seen its highest daily rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus in the last six months.
The government confirmed a further 42,302 cases of coronavirus today - the highest daily total since 55,761 cases were recorded on January 15.
A further 49 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, which brings the UK total to 128,530. Public Health England (PHE) said that deaths and hospital admissions are not rising as rapidly as cases thanks to the vaccination programme - but urged people to take additional steps as England prepares to lift Covid restrictions on July 19.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk