UK COVID-19 INFECTIONS EXCEED 3.7 MILLION

Fri 22 July 2022:

The number of COVID-19 infections in the UK has risen again to over 3.7 million, the Office for National Statistics announced on Friday.

The latest numbers are for the week to July 14, and show a 7% increase on the previous week. That week, however, saw a 29% jump from the week before, which suggests that the rate of increase of infections could be slowing.

The latest data is the highest estimate for overall infections since mid-April, but still below the record of 4.9 million infections at the end of March.

Infection rates were highest among persons age 16 to 24.

It comes as a new survey suggests public concern about Covid-19 has dropped to its lowest level since the pandemic began.

A total of 3.8 million people in private households in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to July 13/14, up 7% from 3.5 million the previous seven days, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Kara Steel, ONS senior statistician for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “Infections have, overall, continued to increase in England, reaching similar levels to those seen in April during the BA.2 wave.

The figures come as new polling suggests public concern about Covid-19 has fallen to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

Around two-thirds of people surveyed (65%) said they are concerned about the risk coronavirus poses to the country, down from 71% in March, according to data shared with the PA news agency by the poll company Ipsos.

Some 56% of respondents are concerned about the risk the virus poses to people personally, down from 59%, while 39% are not concerned, up from 36%.

The survey of 2,196 adults in Britain was carried out on July 8-9, at a time when infection levels were already rising across the country.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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