Virus cases ‘may be levelling off’ in England

Woman taking swab test at homeImage copyright
Getty Images

The number of people in England testing positive for coronavirus may be levelling off, according to a household survey by the Office for National Statistics.

After a low in cases at the end of June, it estimated infections had been rising slightly in July.

Restrictions have been introduced in recent weeks in a number of different areas to control outbreaks.

The figures are based on throat and nose swabs from nearly 120,000 people.

They are tested whether they have symptoms or not.

Individuals in hospitals and care homes are not included in the ONS survey, which has been estimating cases in private households since May.

Figures for Wales have been included for the first time – and during the week of 27 July to 2 August, 1,400 people are estimated to have had Covid-19.

In England, the figure for the same week is is 28,300.

However, there is uncertainty around these figures because they are based on modelling a sample of the population and a very small number of positive tests – just 53 people from 53 households.

The ONS says there is no clear evidence from its survey to say whether infection rates differ by region in England.