About one in seven people in England had COVID, according to the National Statistics Office (PA Images / Yahoo News UK).
According to a new analysis by the Office of National Statistics, it is estimated that one in seven people in England had a coronavirus.
The data, which is based on household blood tests and covers the period up to January 18, shows how different the number of people with coronavirus antibodies from previous infection is across the country.
It is estimated that just over one in five (21%) had the virus in London, the highest prevalence in any area.
The lowest levels were found in the south west of England, where an estimated 8.3% of people were affected.
Use the map below to see how many people have been infected in your area
The number of people estimated to have had COVID in each area of England is:
London – 21%
West Midlands – 18.8%
Yorkshire and the Humber – 18.7%
North West England – 18.1%
North East England – 16.2%
East Midlands – 15.7%
East England – 10.8%
South East England – 10.2%
South West England – 8.3%
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An estimated one in nine people in England had antibodies to COVID in December and one in 11 in November.
According to the ONS, one in nine people in Wales was infected by mid-January, up from one in 14 in December.
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For Scotland the estimate was one in ten, one in 13, and for Northern Ireland it was one in eleven, one in 14.
The numbers come amid signs that England’s lockdown is putting down new cases.
16,840 new cases were confirmed on Tuesday, up from a high of more than 50,000 in late 2020.
It is estimated that just over one in five people in London had COVID. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
In further encouraging news, data from Oxford University showed that the vaccine developed with AstraZeneca can significantly reduce coronavirus transmission.
Hailing the new analysis as’ absolutely brilliant ‘, Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast,’ We now know that the Oxford vaccine also reduces transmission and that we can all honestly get out of this pandemic which is why it’s such good news this is we should applaud. “
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Ministers are concerned about an outbreak of the South African variant of the virus, which has led to surge tests in eight postcode areas in England where community transmission is feared.
A variant first identified in Kent has also been confirmed to have mutated in ways that could affect vaccine effectiveness.
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