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The percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in England has declined slightly but remains high, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
About one in 55 people who were not in nursing homes, hospitals, or other institutional settings virus in the week ending January 16.
In the last comprehensive infection survey published two weeks ago, one in 50 people had the virus.
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It is concerning that infection rates in Northern Ireland increased from one in 200 in the previous survey to one in 60, as the country extended your lock to March 5.
Rates in Scotland and Wales have stabilized, with one in 100 and one in 70 infected, respectively.
In England, London and the North East still have the highest infection rates, with an estimated one in 35 people having the virus in the capital.
The percentage of positive cases has decreased in London, from one in 28, but rates are increasing in the North East.
Both have infection rates more than double that of the lower regions of England.
However, there was good news, as the percentage of people infected with the new variant has decreased in London, the south-east and the east of England.
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COVID-19: How effective is the lockdown?
Infection rates in secondary schools have also declined, with only the children of key workers and vulnerable students attending.
All other age groups show only signs that cases are stabilizing.
Analysis: This survey reveals new areas of concern in the UK
By Thomas Moore, Science Correspondent
Blocking works, but not everywhere.
That’s the take-home message from the latest snapshot of the UK epidemic from the Office for National Statistics.
Across England, the number of people infected with the virus fell from one in 50 just before the shutdown to one in 55 in the week leading up to January 16.
But, as always, that masks a complicated geographic variation in the spread of the virus.
In London, the South East and the East of England, which were at Level 4 for the longest time in the run-up to Christmas, the cases dropped dramatically.
London still had the highest infection rate, one in 35 people, but that was less than one in 28.
The concern will be what is happening in the Northeast.
Despite being under the same restrictions as the rest of the country, the infection rate rose sharply over the two-week period from one in 60 to one in 40.
The infection rate in Northern Ireland has also more than doubled.
The increase in those areas is almost certainly due to the boost in social mixing during Christmas and New Years. More constraints may be required to bend the curve.
Today’s cases are hospital admissions for the next fortnight. Therefore, the NHS in these regions will face increasing pressure.
Elsewhere there will be some hope for distressed doctors and nurses that it is turning the corner. Admissions are still incredibly high, but at least there are signs that the numbers will soon start to decline.
