COVID cases are growing again with a 40% increase last week.

Two new faster-spreading Omicron variants are taking over in the UK, causing an increase in infections.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 1.4 million Britons were infected with the virus last week – roughly one in every 50 people.

It is a 43% increase from the previous week and the largest increase in six months.

“The latest ONS data confirms the start of the new wave in UK nations,” said Professor Christina Pagel of University College London.

However, health officials believe that the hospital toll will be much lower than in previous waves due to widespread immunity.

NHS Medical Director Prof Sir Stephen Powis told the Health Service

Infections had been at their lowest since last September, but are now on the rise as Germany also faces a summer wave.

The new variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are offshoots of the dominant Omicron strain BA.2, are driving the increase.

They are thought to be more contagious than the original strain and now account for roughly half of all cases in the UK.