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LONDON: Coronavirus infections in England have stabilized with an indication of a decline, but remain extremely high, according to the latest findings from a study backed by the UK government on Thursday.
The Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) study of the country’s COVID-19 infections found that infections in the general population between January 6 and January 22 were at the highest level registered since last year.
It also found that the National Health Service (NHS) is under significant pressure in England with more than 37,000 people hospitalized with the virus, double the first peak in April 2020, and 4,076 people are on respirators, more than anywhere. moment. in the pandemic.
“These findings are a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant. Such high infection rates will continue to put pressure on our NHS and will add to significant pressures already facing health and care staff,” said the Health Secretary of the UK, Matt Hancock.
“We must reduce infections immediately, so I urge everyone to do their part to help save lives. They should stay home unless absolutely necessary, follow social distancing rules, and minimize contact with others.” said.
The levels of infections recorded by REACT varied in different parts of England and were highest in London, with one in 35 people infected, and highest nationally among people aged 18-24.
It also found that black or Asian people and those living in large households or in disadvantaged neighborhoods were more likely to test positive than others.
Healthcare and homeworkers, as well as other key workers, were also more likely to be infected compared to other workers.
The other key findings from this month’s eighth REACT study show that the national prevalence of the coronavirus is 1.57 percent, or 157 per 10,000 infected people.
The national R rate, or the rate at which the infection is transmitted by any infected individual, is estimated to be 0.98 with a range of 0.92 to 1.04, and thus remains very high.
“The number of people infected with the virus is at the highest level we have recorded since we started testing last May,” said Professor Paul Elliott, director of the program at Imperial College London.
“We are not seeing the steep drop in infections that occurred during the first shutdown and if infections are not significantly reduced, hospitals will not be able to cope with the number of people in need of critical care. We all need to stay home whenever possible. and help keep the virus in check and protect our already overburdened healthcare system, “he said.
Scientists say that while the vaccine program continues to expand to protect as many people as possible, with more than 6.8 million people currently vaccinated in the UK, it is still unknown whether vaccination prevents someone from transmitting the virus to others. persons.
It will also be some time before the impact of the vaccination program reduces pressures on hospitals, making the continued lockdown restrictions critical.
“In the latest REACT snapshot in round 8, we continue to see very high levels of Covid-19 nationwide, which is still concerning. While we see the suggestion of a recession in the final days of the study, which is encouraging, this is only tentative, “said Kelly Beaver, general director of Public Affairs for Ipsos MORI.
As part of the study, more than 167,000 randomly selected people over the age of 5 from across England volunteered to provide nose and throat swabs for this REACT report.
These were tested for antigens that indicate the presence of the virus to show if someone is currently infected with COVID-19.
The study does not target the same participants in each round, but instead selects new participants randomly selected each time to capture both those showing symptoms and those who do not, providing a greater understanding of infection levels throughout. the country.
Its latest findings come as the UK surpassed 100,000 deaths from the deadly virus this week to reach 101,887, prompting stricter international travel measures to more strictly control the deadliest new variants of the coronavirus elsewhere. of the world.
Britain remains under a strict lockdown for staying at home and Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the lockdown will remain in effect until February, and that schools will reopen as the first signs of normalcy, a move that will not expected before March 8.
