Daily coronavirus infections across the UK surged 56 per cent in a week today, official figures show — but the rise is due to a dip in testing last Monday.
The Department of Health's daily update showed there were 41,192 new cases in the past 24 hours compared to just 26,476 on Bank Holiday Monday.
There were just 670,000 tests carried out on that day compared to more than a million today, with the numbers typically lower during public holidays.
The latest cases mean more than 7million people have officially been infected with Covid in Britain, although millions more are thought to have gone untested.
Another 45 Covid deaths were also registered today marking a 6 per cent fall compared to last week but this may also have been affected by the bank holiday.
It comes as Professor Chris Whitty and his fellow chief medical officers in the devolved nations prepare to deliver a decision on vaccinating children this week.
The Government's vaccine advisory panel said on Friday that it would not recommend routinely vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds because Covid poses such a low threat to their health.
It has left the decision with the CMOs who will weigh up whether jabbing kids will have broader benefits to society, such as keeping schools open during winter.
MailOnline understands a decision is expected no later than Friday.
'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson said today he believed Britain will press ahead with plans to vaccinate children to keep infections in schools manageable.
The epidemiologist and SAGE adviser — whose modelling spooked ministers into the initial lockdown in March — said he expects Professor Chris Whitty and the other chief medical officers to approve the move.
The Government has made no secret of the fact it wants to immunise secondary school-aged children after seeing cases spiral in Scotland when schools returned from the summer holidays last month.
Professor Ferguson from Imperial College London said today: 'On balance, I think we will probably move to vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds.
'The question becomes even finer going into younger age groups, but focusing on teenage secondary school children I think we will move in that direction.'
He added: 'It would not surprise me if the chief medical
