Children lead the rise in COVID-19 prevalence in England

LONDON, October 1 (Reuters) – The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England increased in the week ending September 25, the UK’s Office for National Statistics said on Friday, driven by an increase in infections among school-age children.

Schools in England have been open for about a month, and some epidemiologists have raised concern over the increase in cases among children, although this has yet to translate into a sustained rise in infections for the general population.

The prevalence was estimated at 4.58% among high school-aged children, meaning that more than one in 25 children tested positive for COVID-19, compared to 2.81% of children in the middle school age group. age tested positive the previous week.

The overall prevalence figure for England was 1 in 85, slightly higher than the figure of 1 in 90 the week before, although still lower than it was two weeks ago, when it was estimated at 1 in 80.

The estimated COVID breeding number may also have increased slightly, according to government figures. S8N2NF04G

The ONS infection survey seeks to estimate the number of infections in the community beyond those that presented for testing by using sampling to give an estimate of the prevalence that is not affected by fluctuations in daily test numbers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented a winter plan to deal with the coronavirus, and children over 12 are offered a COVID-19 injection. Read more

But vaccinations for 12-15 year olds only started last week, leaving England and other countries in the UK behind the US and some other European countries.

In Scotland, which sets its own health policy and where schools returned in mid-August, recorded daily cases have plummeted after reaching record highs in late August.

The ONS said the prevalence of cases had declined but was still higher than in England, with 1 in 55 people infected.

Reporting by Alistair Smout; edited by Costas Pitas

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.