Covid-19 infections in England have dropped by more than two-thirds in recent weeks, according to initial results from a community prevalence survey.
Interim findings from the ninth report of REACT-1, a study of Covid-19 infections in England, were published on Thursday by Imperial College London.
More than 85,400 volunteers were tested with throat and nose swabs in England from February 4-13 to examine infection levels in the general population.
The results show that the national prevalence decreased by two thirds – from 1.57% to 0.51%, or 51 to 10,000 infected. This is a significant decrease in infections compared to the last report from 6 to 22 January. England entered the third national pandemic blockade in January. 6.
These encouraging results show that blocking measures actually bring infections. It is reassuring that the reduction in the number of infections has occurred at all ages and in most regions across the country, “said Paul Elliott, program director at Imperial, in a statement.
The decrease in prevalence was higher in some regions, especially in London, where it fell from 2.83% to 0.54% since the last report.
“In London, the South East and West Midlands, the prevalence has dropped by about 80%, although the declines have been smaller in the northern regions,” says the Imperial report.
The prevalence decreased substantially in all age groups, with a higher prevalence among young people aged 18 to 24 at 0.89% and those aged 5 to 12 at 0.86%, add the report. The report concludes that, although there is a “sharp decline” in the prevalence of coronavirus in England among the general population from five to six weeks after the blockage, it remains high – “at levels similar to those seen at the end of September 2020”.
There are also 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 in January and February. He has now given more than 15 million people a first dose.
“The decrease in prevalence was similar among those aged 65 and over compared to other age groups, suggesting that if vaccines are effective in reducing transmission as well as disease, this effect is not yet a major factor in prevalence trends. Therefore, the observed falls described here are most likely due to reduced social interactions during the blockade, ”the report said.
“We still don’t know if vaccination prevents anyone from transmitting the virus to others,” he said.
However, on Tuesday, the UK Office for National Statistics reported that almost 41% of those over the age of 80 in England tested positive for antibodies “most likely due to the high vaccination rate in this group”.