Covid: Increase in infections seen in secondary school age children but 'too early to say if larger trend', ONS says
Video report from ITV News Science Editor Tom Clarke
Coronavirus cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are levelling out but an increase in infections in secondary school aged children has been detected, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The weekly Covid-19 Infection survey saw an increase in new cases in children in years 7 to 12 but the ONS said it was "too early to say if this is a larger trend".
Also on Friday it was revealed that the coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, across the UK is between 0.7 to 0.9, according to the latest government figures, meaning 10 infected people pass the respiratory disease on to between seven and nine others.
This is compared to a figure of between 0.6 and 0.9 last week.
R number and for the UK and devolved nations:
UK - 0.7 to 0.9
England - 0.8 to 1.0
Scotland - 0.8 to 1.0
Wales - 0.6 to 0.9
Northern Ireland 0.75 to 0.95
The latest figures are for the week ending March 20, two weeks after schools reopened after lockdown.
Rates fell among older teenagers and young adults (school year 12), as well as those aged 50 to 69, but the trend is uncertain for other age groups.
Sarah Crofts, Senior Statistician for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said: "We have seen an increase in infections among secondary school aged children, perhaps reflecting the reopening of schools, however it is too early to say if this is a larger trend.
"We will continue to closely monitor infections by age."
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Rates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have levelled out although there has been an increase in Scotland, according to the analysis.
The percentage of people in England with positive cases that are compatible with the UK variant is likely to have levelled off but the trend in Wales and Northern Ireland is uncertain, the ONS said.
The percentage of people testing positive for cases compatible with the UK variant is likely to have increased in Scotland, it added.
The analysis is based on 639,602 tests gathered from across the UK over the last six weeks.
It refers to the number of Covid infections within private households and excludes cases in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.
The number of people estimated to have coronavirus in the week to March 20:
England - 1 in 340 peopleScotland - 1 in 240 peopleWales - 1 in 450 peopleNorthern Ireland - 1 in 320 people
England
Around one in 340 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to March 20 – unchanged on the previous week. It equates to some 162,500 people.
It is the lowest figure since the week to September 24 2020, when the estimate stood at one in 470 people.
The ONS said the percentage of people testing positive in England "is likely to have levelled off".
Ms Crofts said: "In England, the national picture masks different trends across regions.
"The North West saw an increase in the percentage of people testing positive while in the South East and East of England it decreased."
Of the regions in England, Yorkshire and The Humber had the highest percentage of positive cases in the week ending March 20.
There was an increase in the North West and potentially in Yorkshire and The Humber, the ONS said.
However, decreases were seen in the South East and East of England and a slower decline in London, West Midlands and the South West.
The trend for the East Midlands and the North East was uncertain.
Scotland
The percentage of people testing positive increased in Scotland over the two weeks up to March 20, according to the analysis.
An estimated 21,500 people in Scotland - equating to one in 240 people - had Covid-19 including all variants, the ONS said. The previous week was estimated at one in 275 people.
Wales
In Wales, around one in 450 people are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to March 20 – broadly similar to one in 430 for the previous week.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, the ONS estimates around one in 320 people had Covid-19 in the week to March 20 – broadly similar to one in 315 in the previous week.
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