Worst of Covid IS over – but one in 30 people still have it, major surveillance report reveals

The rise in Covid infections is levelling-off in England, although one in 30 are still infected, surveillance data suggests. 

Statisticians at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate 1.7million people in the country, or three per cent, were infected in the week to October 10. 

The figure, based on random testing of thousands of Britons, is up 12 per cent in a week. But the growth rate has slowed by a third in comparison to seven days earlier.

Cases jumped by 60 per cent in Wales, while the trend was unclear in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

ONS bosses say it is ‘too early’ to tell from their data whether the recent spike in cases, which are at a two-and-a-half month high, is already reversing. 

But separate data from the UK Health Security Agency, which goes up to October 16, shows cases have already peaked in all parts of England and in all age groups.

Health chiefs said the downturn may be due to the ‘benefits from so many people taking up their Covid autumn booster’. Around 9million people have had the top-up.

Meanwhile, NHS figures this week revealed that there has been a drop in the number of infected people in hospital.

However, officials warn that there are already signs that the flu wave has begun — with experts fearing the resurgence of the virus could cripple the health service.

The ONS figures show 1.7million people in England were infected in the week to October 10, compared to 1.5million in the week to October 3. However, the weekly rate cases are rising by had shrunk from 36.9 per cent to 12.7 per cent in the space of seven days.

In Wales, cases jumped 57 per cent week-on-week, with an estimated 117,600 infected nation-wide — equivalent to one in 25 people or 3.8 per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, 114,400 people in Scotland were thought to be carrying Covid in the most recent week. While the figure is up 31.6 per cent compared to last week’s data, ONS statisticians said the trend is uncertain.

Some 44,200 people in Northern Ireland infected with Covid, according to the ONS. The number is down by two per cent in a week, although the ONS said the pattern in cases is unclear. 

Sarah Crofts, deputy director for the ONS Covid infection survey, said: ‘Infections have continued to increase across England and Wales, with uncertain trends in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

‘Though infections have increased overall in England, it is a mixed picture across regions and age groups.

‘It is too early to say from the data whether overall recent rises are starting to slow, but we will continue to monitor the data closely.’

The statistics also show that Covid infections appeared to keep rising across England in the week ending October 10, although the ONS said the trend was uncertain. 

Rates were highest in Yorkshire and The Humber, where 3.6 per cent of people were infected. The West Midlands (3.5 per cent), South East (3.3 per cent) and East Midlands (3.2 per cent) logged the next-highest rates.

Infections were lowest in London (2.5 per cent), the North West (2.9 per cent) and North East (3.1 per cent).