Virus cases unchanged across UK

CORONAVIRUS infections appear to have levelled off across the UK, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). An estimated one in 55 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between January 17 and 23, broadly the same as estimates for January 10 to 16.

In Wales, around one in 70 people had Covid-19, also unchanged. Northern Ireland had around one in 50, up slightly from one in 60, while Scotland was down slightly from one in 100 people to one in 110.

The ONS said the percentage of people testing positive in England “remains high”, with more than one million people infected in the most recent week’s data. London still has the highest percentage of people testing positive, at one in 35.

The data is based on swabs from people in households, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. It does not include care homes, hospitals and other institutional settings.

Latest Government figures showed the UK reproduction number (R) of coronavirus, the average number of people each Covid-positive person infects is between 0.7 and 1.1.