The number of Scots testing positive for Covid-19 has continued to rise as Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 likely drive transmission.

Around 1 in 18 people were estimated to have had the virus in Scotland in the week ending June 24, figures from the Office of National Statistics show. 

This equated to around 288,200 people in Scotland having Covid-19 compared to 250,700 in the preceding week. 

This is the highest estimate for Scotland since early April.

Infections are rising in most age groups, but the trend for those aged 75 or above remains uncertain.

The increase comes after infections dropped between late-March and early-May.

READ MORE: More than 2,000 new cases being recorded each day

Cases are now rising across the UK, but infections associated with the BA.2 variant have decreased in Scotland.

A total of 2.3 million people in UK private households are estimated to have had the virus last week, up 32% from a week earlier.

With around 5.47% of Scots estimated to have the virus, the country is once again seeing more cases than in other parts of the UK. 

In England, an estimated 3.35% of the population were testing positive in the same week, 3.49% in Wales and 3.87% in Northern Ireland.

This means that in England 1.8 million people were likely to have had the virus last week, the equivalent of around one in 30.

This is up from 1.4 million, or one in 40, the previous week.

Wales has seen infections jump to 106,000, or one in 30, up from 68,500, or one in 45.

In Northern Ireland, infections have increased to an estimated 71,000 people, or one in 25, up from 59,900, or one in 30.