The English Premier League has confirmed that 40 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded in the latest week of testing, as the country continues to see a surge in its caseload.

The latest figure is the highest reported since the season started in September.

The premier league said in a statement that a first round of testing conducted on players and club staff between Monday 28 December and Thursday 31 December returned 28 new positive results.

A second round of testing conducted between 1 January and 2 January returned 12 new positive results.

During this period, three fixtures were postponed following an increased number of positive tests at two clubs. The Premier League said the matches will be rearranged as soon as possible.

A total of four matches have been called off this season due to COVID-19.

The Premier League is however confident that games can continue being held safely in line with health protocols.

"With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the League continues to have confidence in its COVID-19 protocols, fully backed by the Government, to enable fixtures to be played as scheduled," it said.

The Premier League said it would conduct COVID-19 tests on players and club staff twice per week.