Covid-19 infections in England have dropped by more than two-thirds in recent weeks, according to initial findings from a community-based survey.
The interim findings from the ninth report of REACT-1, a study on Covid-19 infections in England, were announced by Imperial College London on Thursday.
More than 85,400 volunteers were tested with throat and nasal swabs in England between 4 and 13 February to investigate the levels of infection in the general population.
The findings show that the national prevalence decreased by two thirds – from 1.57% to 0.51%, or 51 per 10,000 infected. This is a significant decrease in infections compared to the last report from 6 to 22 January. England entered its third national exclusion from the January pandemic. 6.
“These encouraging results show that lock-up measures effectively reduce infections. It is reassuring that the number of infections has decreased at all ages and in most regions across the country, ‘said Paul Elliott, director of the program at Imperial, in a statement.
The decline in prevalence was greater in some regions, particularly in London, where it has fallen from 2.83% to 0.54% since the last report.
“In London, Southeast and West Midlands, the incidence fell by about 80%, although the decline in the northern regions was smaller,” the Imperial report reads.
The prevalence dropped significantly in all age groups with the highest prevalence among 18- to 24-year-olds at 0.89% and those between the ages of 5 and 12 at 0.86%, the report adds. The report concludes that although there is a “strong decline” in the incidence of coronavirus in England among the general population five to six weeks into exclusion, it remains high – “at levels similar to those at the end of September 2020 has been observed. “
There are also even more people hospitalized with Covid-19 than at the peak of the first wave in April 2020.
The UK launched its mass vaccination campaign in December, offering almost all people over the age of 70 a vaccine during January and February. It has now given more than 15 million people a first dose.
‘The decline in incidence was similar among those aged 65 years and older, compared with other age groups, suggesting that if the vaccines are effective in reducing transmission as well as disease, this effect is not yet a major cause of the incidence is not. Therefore, the observed fall described here is most likely due to reduced social interactions during lock-in, ”the report reads.
“We do not yet know if anyone who is vaccinated will stop transmitting the virus to others,” the England Department of Health added.
However, the UK Office for National Statistics reported on Tuesday that almost 41% of people over the age of 80 in England tested positive for antibodies “probably due to the high vaccination rate in this group.”