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The country’s largest testing study found about one in 170 people had the virus between September 18 and October 5, with rates even higher in hotspots.

Researchers warned that the second wave was reaching a “critical point” and some regions may soon see infections return to ­levels last seen in April.

The bleak forecast came as a further 13,864 Covid-19 cases and 87 deaths were ­confirmed across the UK yesterday.

There were 3,090 patients in English hospitals last night, close to the figure of 3,097 on wards on March 23 when the country entered lockdown.

Imperial College London testing shows coronavirus cases are doubling about twice as fast in the North-west, Yorkshire and the West Midlands, compared with the national average.

Study director Professor Paul Elliott: said: “If left unabated, infection trends could lead to high levels of unnecessary death and illness.”

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