- Over 160,000 volunteers tested in England
for one of the country’s largest COVID-19 studies
- Findings from Imperial College London and
Ipsos MORI show infections continue to rapidly increase with over
1 in 80 people infected
- Study provides a baseline to monitor
COVID-19 infections during national lockdown restrictions
The full results from the sixth report of one of the country’s
largest studies into COVID-19 infections in England have been
published today by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI. It
follows the publication of the interim findings at the end of
October.
Over 160,000 volunteers were tested in England between
16th October and 2nd November to examine
the levels of infection in the general population. The findings
announced today show infections rose sharply across the country
with over 1 in 80 people infected, double that reported by REACT
in early October.
The main findings from the sixth REACT study show that between
16th and 2nd November:
- Prevalence of infection was 1.3%, meaning
130 people per 10,000 were infected, up from 60 people per 10,000
in the previous report;
- Regional prevalence of infection
was highest in the North West (2.4%, up from 1.2%), Yorkshire and
The Humber (2.3% up from 0.84%) and lowest in South East (0.69%
up from 0.29%) and East of England (0.69% up from 0.30%);
- Since the last REACT report in early
October, the virus has been doubling every 24 days;
- Prevalence increased across all age
groups; and
- The epidemic has progressed from specific
at-risk groups to a more generalised pattern of transmission.
These results provide a baseline for reporting and monitoring the
spread of COVID-19 during national lockdown.
Professor Paul Elliott, director of the programme at
Imperial, said:
“Our latest round of REACT testing offers robust data on
England’s coronavirus situation up until just three days before
the country entered its second nation-wide lockdown. We’ve shown
that the prevalence of infection has remained high, reinforcing
the need for people to act to help bring infections down and
control the virus.
“These important data will be a critical baseline from which to
determine if the new measures are effective at curbing the growth
of the epidemic.”
The data shows high level of infections before national lockdown
and it is clear that without national action, infections,
hospitalisations and deaths would continue to increase. The
effect of national measures to reduce transmission of the virus
would be expected to take some time to reflect in infection
numbers.
The government has been continuously guided by the advice of
experts from SAGE from the outset and the government’s response
has helped to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed. It is vital
people follow the rules over the coming weeks to bring the
transmission rates back down and get back to normality as soon as
possible.
Kelly Beaver, Managing Director- Public Affairs at Ipsos
MORI said:
“The conclusion of another round of the REACT study highlights
the importance of real time tracking of COVID-19 across England.
We are incredibly grateful to all those members of the public who
have volunteered to take part and encourage those who are
currently receiving letters for Round 7 to participate in the
next round of the study.”
This report is the latest from the REACT study which was
commissioned by DHSC and carried out by a world-class team of
scientists, clinicians and researchers at Imperial College
London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Ipsos MORI.
Notes to editors
