Spike in deaths and patients in hospital: How prevalent is Covid?
At the beginning of the pandemic, families across the country were glued to their television screens, waiting to be told the latest data on the situation.
Four years on, the Covid Inquiry has published it's first damning report into the failures from the UK government and civil service in preparing for the virus.
It said there was a “damaging absence of focus” on the measures and infrastructure that would be needed to deal with a fast-spreading disease, even though a coronavirus outbreak at pandemic scale “was foreseeable”.
But as the inquiry looks back, ITV News compares the data closest to July 18 across the past few years, to better determine the prevalence of Covid today.
Cases
An aggregate estimate of 25 million Covid cases have been recorded in the UK, but the real figure is thought to much higher.
Positive tests are significantly lower than they have been at various peaks since the pandemic began.
But the data is limited since most people were advised to no longer take a Covid test if they suspected they were infected since the vaccine was rolled out.
When testing was in full swing in 2021, cases were recorded at 38, 475 on July 18.
By the same day in 2023 this had fallen to 517 and by July 10, 2024 - the latest available UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data it had dropped to 142.
Patients in hospital with Covid
Fewer than 5,000 people have been hospitalised by Covid since the beginning of 2023, after the number peaked at 25,000 in January 2021.
In a similar downwards trend, the daily number of beds occupied by Covid patients has fallen.
On July 31 in 2020, 2021 and 2020 there were over 100,000 beds being used to treat people with the virus. By May 31, 2023 this had fallen to just 77 beds.
But this year that number has risen again with 1, 886 hospital beds taken up by Covid patients on the same day in 2024.
Weekly deaths from Covid
In a broader trend, Covid-related deaths almost halved from 32,300 in 2022 to 16,600 in 2023.
But according to the latest UKHSA detailing the number of weekly Covid deaths cited on death certificates, there were 168 deaths in the seven days prior to June 28, 2024.
That is up from 55 deaths a year earlier, but is still lower than 2022 when deaths were close to 700 in a similar period.
What is the latest Covid guidance?
There are no longer Covid restrictions in place, but it is advised you stay at home if possible should you test positive.
Dr Alexander Allen, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, told ITV News that the body continues to monitor the situation closely and trends in recent weeks have seen a spike in Covid.
"We know most summer activities are spent with others, but taking some time out to get better when you’re unwell also helps prevent the spread of viruses and protects others, especially those who are more vulnerable," he said.
"If you have symptoms of a respiratory virus, like a new continuous cough or fever, we continue to advise avoiding contact with others.
"If you do need to leave home, consider wearing a mask in crowded places. Simple actions like catching coughs and sneezes with a tissue, washing your hands regularly, and improving indoor ventilation can help to reduce the spread of viruses."
The Office for National statistics monitored the majority of Covid data through the Coronavirus Infection Survey until March 2023. It was succeeded by the UKHSA.
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