COVID rates hold steady as cases rise in school-aged children

Written byZOE Editorial Staff

COVID rates hold steady as cases rise in school-aged children

According to the ZOE COVID Symptom Study UK Infection Survey figures, there are currently 4,785 new symptomatic cases of COVID in the UK on average, based on swab tests data from up to five days ago [*]. This compares to 4,470 daily cases a week ago a small increase of 7% from last week. That’s down 93% from a peak of 69,000 at the beginning of the year. In terms of prevalence, on average 1 in 918 people in the UK currently have symptomatic COVID. (Full table of regional results below)

Other key findings from ZOE COVID Symptom Study UK Infection Survey this week:

The UK R value is close to 1.0
Regional R values are: England, 1.0, Wales, 1.1, Scotland, 1.1 (full table of R values below).
Whilst R values in both Scotland and Wales are above 1, the rates in those regions are still low, Scotland 756 and Wales 420 daily new cases.
The average rate of prevalence for symptomatic disease across the UK is 1 in 918
There is 1 in 1025 children under 19 years-of-age with symptomatic COVID, an average increase of 5% on last week’s figures[**]. (see graph below)

The ZOE COVID Symptom Study UK Infection Survey figures are based on around one million weekly reporters and the proportion of newly symptomatic users who have positive swab tests. The latest survey figures were based on data from 6,728 recent swab tests done between 12 March to 21 March 2021.

The app is delivered in collaboration with King’s Health Partners, an Academic Health Sciences Centre based in South East London.

Tim Spector OBE, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app and Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, comments on the latest data:

“Again, we’re seeing the regions diverge with Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and the North of England recording higher figures than in the south. As expected, cases in children are rising slightly off the back of schools reopening, and this effect is felt more strongly in Wales and Scotland where schools went back earlier. This is a necessary impact of unlocking society and numbers are currently well under control and aren’t a cause for concern.”

Incidence / Daily new symptomatic cases regional breakdown [*]

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