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There are signs that restrictions on social contact, such as limiting gatherings to groups of six, may be helping to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the UK, according to a major study.
Researchers from Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI evaluated more than 80,000 volunteers in England between September 18 and 26 as part of the country’s largest survey on Covid-19.
The results show that infections increased substantially across the country and the virus is still spreading, with one in every 200 people infected. But the “R rate,” which measures how many people each infected person transmits the virus to, fell to around 1.1, from 1.7 in late August and early September.
“While our latest findings show some early evidence that the growth of new cases may have slowed, suggesting that efforts to control the infection are working, the prevalence of infection is the highest we have recorded to date.” said Paul Elliott, director of the program at Imperial College. “This reinforces the need for protective measures to limit the spread of the disease.”
In London, the prevalence of the disease increased fivefold, to 49 people per 10,000, compared to 10. That puts the capital close to the national average.
The study was commissioned by the government and the full results are due next week, based on samples of 150,000 volunteers.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has introduced a series of measures to combat the disease, including closing hours for all bars and restaurants at 10 pm and the “rule of six”, according to which people they should not meet in groups of more than six. anywhere, indoors or outdoors.
