Covid-19 prevalence still too high to risk complacency

One in 35 people in London had Covid-19 last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

According to the ONS’ Covid-19 Infection Survey in the week ending January 23 1,018,700 people in England had Covid-19, equating to around 1 in 55 people.

London also had the highest percentage of people testing positive, the ONS estimated that 2.71% of people in London had Covid-19 equating to around 1 in 35 people.

However, the percentage of people testing positive decreased in all ages except those aged from two years to school Year 6.

Responding to the results, Dr Layla McCay, director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These figures show once again how tight the grip of the Covid-19 crisis is on our population.

‘Coupled with the recent test and trace figures, we can clearly see that the prevalence of the virus in the community is still much too high to risk complacency.

‘Progress in the vaccination programme has been incredible and is a true testament to the willingness of everyone involved to step up and help protect the most vulnerable people, but as it is still in its early stages, we must all continue to do all we can to keep social contact to a minimum.’

Last week ONS reported that the total death count passed 100,000 in the UK.

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