Daily coronavirus cases in England have increased by around 10,000 to around 27,900, according to latest ONS estimates.
Last week’s estimate was 17,200 per day, and the week before 12,600.
There has also been a big jump in the number of people currently infected in England – rising from an estimated 224,400 to 336,500 in a week.
That equates to a rise from 1 in 240 people, to 1 in 160.
“The estimate shows the number of infections has continued to increase rapidly in recent weeks,” said the Office for National Statistics.
It said there was also “clear evidence” of regional variation, with places under stricter lockdowns – such as the North West and Yorkshire – having higher infection rates.
Older teenagers and young adults were getting infected the most, said the ONS.
“Smaller increases are also apparent across all of the other age groups, apart from individuals aged 70 years and over,” it added.
The figures – covering 2 to 8 October – are for private households and do not include hospitals and care homes.
The ONS Infection Survey carries out its own tests of tens of thousands of people each week – whether or not they have coronavirus symptoms.