Covid: Slight decrease in positive cases but number 'still remains high', Office for National Statistics warns
Lockdown measures could be flattening the spread of coronavirus in the UK with latest figures from the Covid-19 Infection survey showing a slight decrease in positive cases.
But the Office for National Statistics (ONS) warned that the number of people estimated to have had Covid-19 "remains high".
The survey found around one in 65 people in private households in England are estimated to have had Covid-19 between January 24 and 30, the equivalent of 846,900 people.
It is down slightly from one in 55 people for the previous period of January 17 to 23.
The survey found cases were also slightly down in Northern Ireland and Scotland and unchanged in Wales.
The rates of confirmed Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital has also decreased but remained high at 25.3 per 100,000 people in the week ending January 31, equating to twice the rate seen in December 2020.
However, the number of Covid-19 related deaths in England increased by 17.6% with nearly half (45.3%) of all deaths involving coronavirus.
Estimates of infection in private households by home nation:
England - 1 in 65 people (down from 1 in 55 in previous period)
Northern Ireland - 1 in 65 people (down from 1 in 50 in previous period)
Wales - 1 in 70 people (unchanged from previous period)
Scotland - 1 in 115 people (down slightly from 1 in 110 in previous period)
In Wales, around one in 70 people had Covid-19 between January 24 and 30 – the equivalent to 42,700 people - and it is unchanged from the previous week ending January 23.
The percentage of people testing positive decreased in Scotland with an estimated 46,100 people having Covid-19 in the most recent period.
The percentage of people testing positive in Northern Ireland decreased in the most recent week with an estimated 28,700 people having Covid-19.
How has the infection rate changed across areas of England?
London continues to have the highest proportion of people likely to test positive for coronavirus in any region of England, with around one in 50 people in private households estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week ending January 30.
This is down from an estimated one in 35 for the previous week ending January 23.
For eastern England, north-west England and the West Midlands the estimate is one in 55 people.
The other estimates are one in 65 for the East Midlands, one in 80 for south-east England and north-east England, one in 90 for Yorkshire and the Humber, and one in 100 for south-west England.
The ONS said: “Our modelling suggests that the percentage of people testing positive in England decreased in the week ending 30 January 2021, but remains high.”
Cases compatible with the new UK variant have decreased in all regions except the East of England, Yorkshire and The Humber and the East Midlands.
Sarah Crofts, Senior Statistician for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said: "While infections in England have decreased to below one million, they still remain high. Northern Ireland and Scotland have also seen a decrease in infection rates whilst in Wales they have remained level.
"The percentage of people testing positive compatible with the new UK variant has fallen across most regions in England but has levelled off in the East of England and the trend is uncertain in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber."
The Covid-19 Infection Survey is based on 606,141 tests gathered from across the UK over the last six weeks.
It analyses the number of Covid-19 infections in private households, excluding those in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.