Covid-19 infections in England have fallen by more than two-thirds in recent weeks, according to initial findings from a community prevalence survey.
The provisional findings of the ninth report of REACT-1, a study of Covid-19 infections in England, were published on Thursday by Imperial College London.
More than 85,400 volunteers were tested for throat and nose swabs in England from 4 to 13 February to examine infection levels in the general population.
The results show that the national prevalence fell by two thirds: from 1.57% to 0.51%, or 51 per 10,000 infected. This is a significant decrease in infections compared to the last report from 6 to 22 January. England entered its third national pandemic blockade in January. 6.
“These encouraging results show that blocking measures are effectively reducing infections. It is reassuring that the reduction in the number of infections has occurred at all ages and in most regions of the country,” said Paul Elliott, director of the program to Imperial, in a statement.
The decline in prevalence was largest in some regions, particularly in London, where it fell from 2.83% to 0.54% since the last report.
“In London, South East and West Midlands, the prevalence fell by around 80%, although the declines were smaller in the northern regions,” the Imperial report says.
The prevalence fell substantially in all age groups with a higher prevalence among young people aged 18 to 24 with 0.89% and those between 5 and 12 years with 0.86%, the report adds. The report concludes that while there is a “sharp decline” in the prevalence of coronavirus in England among the general population five to six weeks after closure, it remains high – “at levels similar to those observed in late September of 2020 “.
There are also more people hospitalized with Covid-19 than at the peak of the first wave in April 2020.
The UK launched its mass vaccination campaign in December, offering almost everyone over the age of 70 a vaccine during the months of January and February. It has now given more than 15 million people a first dose.
“The fall in prevalence was similar among those aged 65 and over compared to other age groups, suggesting that if vaccines are effective in reducing transmission and disease, this effect is not yet a major one. engines of prevalence trends. Therefore, the falls observed here described are most likely due to the reduction of social interactions during the blockade, ”the report says.
“We still don’t know if vaccination prevents someone from transmitting the virus to others,” the England Department of Health added.
However, on Tuesday the UK’s National Statistics Office reported that almost 41% of those over 80 in England tested positive for antibodies “probably due to the high vaccination rate in this group” .