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Coronavirus: Fewer than one in 1,000 have Covid-19 in England, figures show

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Data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of people infected with coronavirus in England has fallen to around 5,600 new infections a day from 8,000 reported last week.

Figures on how many people have coronavirus at any one time based on swab results from households across the country showed an estimated 39,000 new infections per week in England between 26 April and 30 May.

This equates to an incidence rate per week of 0.07 new cases per 100 people, or fewer than one in every 1,000 people had Covid-19. This latest ONS data is based on swab tests of 19,000 people in 9,000 households.

The ONS said “modelling of the trend over time shows evidence that the number of people in England testing positive has decreased in recent weeks”.

On 28 May, just over one week ago, the ONS estimated there were around 54,000 new infections per week in England, or around 8,000 a day.

“Changes over a longer period are now statistically significant. This is highly compatible with the fall in diagnosed cases.

“The contact tracing service has more than enough staff to cope with the current level of infection,” he added. “The main problem is people not getting tested for Covid-19 when they have symptoms.”

Reporting by PA

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University of Oxford

Department of Health and Social Care