THE number of people in hospital in England testing positive for Covid-19 has climbed to its highest level for nearly three months, according to new figures.

A total of 13,336 patients were in hospital as of 8am on July 11, NHS England revealed. 

The last time the figure was this high was in late April, and it is close to the peak of 16,600 reached during the previous wave of infections in the spring.

UK Health Security Agency clinical programmes director Dr Mary Ramsay warned the numbers are likely to carry on rising throughout July, driven by a “substantial amount” of waning immunity among older people.

The jump in patients testing positive for the virus is due to the spread of subvariants omicron BA.4 and BA.5 — now the dominant strains in the country.

Infections are currently at their highest since April, but are still some way below the record levels at the peak of the BA.2 wave in March.