COVID infections have reached their highest level since the start of January, Britain’s final official estimates reveal.
More than 1.7million people had the virus on any given day in the week up to March 7, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed.
GettyCoronavirus and DNA, virus mutation. New variant and strain of SARS CoV 2. Microscopic view. 3D rendering[/caption]
The figure was up 14 per cent on the 1.5million recorded the week before.
But jabs are still protecting millions of Brits against severe illness, after a mammoth rollout.
The Sun encouraged Brits to get both flu and Covid vaccines this winter with the ‘Do the Double’ campaign, in order to keep them safe from both illnesses.
Michelle Bowen, ONS head of health surveillance dissemination, said: “This week’s data show infections are rising in England, however, the trend is uncertain across the rest of the UK.
“In England, positivity increased in children and those aged 50 and over.
“The North West, East Midlands and South East of England all saw infections increase, though the trend is uncertain in all other regions.”
Cases in England rose from 1.3million to 1.5million in the week — the highest recorded this year.
The trend in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is uncertain, although there are signs the virus is continuing to become more prevalent.
It is the last time that regular estimates of coronavirus are being published, as the long-running infection survey — dubbed the “envy of the world” for its success in tracking the virus — has been halted.
Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, of Cambridge University, said: “The Covid Infection Survey has been an extraordinary achievement.
“Since it was rapidly established in April 2020 it has provided vital evidence of great value both to national policy and international scientific understanding.
“There is a general consensus that the survey has been a world-leading demonstration of how health surveillance can best be done.”
What are the symptoms of Covid?
Covid symptoms can include:
a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a sore throat
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick
Source: The NHS
Prof Mark Woolhouse, of University of Edinburgh, said: “The ONS survey became one of the most trusted and reliable sources of surveillance data on levels of infection, providing key information that informed public health policy.”
The halting of the survey comes as the rate of hospital admissions in England for people with Covid rose for the third week in a row/
Some 10.6 per 100,000 people were hospitalised with the virus in the seven days to March 19 — the highest level since the start of January.
In the absence of official estimates of Covid, hospital admissions will be one of the few remaining sources of data to give any sense of the spread of the virus, along with death registrations.
The final figures from the infection survey show the percentage of people aged 70 and over in England likely to test positive for Covid is estimated to be 4.5 per cent, up from 3.1 per cent a week earlier.
This is the highest positivity for any age group.
The rate is up from 1.4 per cent to 2.1 per cent among children in school years 7 to 11.