The UK’s Office for National Statistics has estimated that approximately one in 10 people in the capital were infected with Covid-19 as of Sunday, as Britons prepare for Christmas despite soaring infection rates.
Data released by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Friday estimated that 9.5% of Londoners were infected with Covid-19 on Sunday, December 19. The 95% confidence interval suggests the real figure could be as low as 8.43% and as high as 10.69%.
The ONS data comes one day after the UK posted a record daily high of new Covid-19 infections as Omicron sweeps across the country. On Wednesday, a total of 119,789 new Covid-19 cases were recorded, up from 106,122 a day earlier.
The ONS highlighted that 1 in 35 people in England had the virus between December 13 and December 19. Covid prevalence is lower in Wales (1 in 45), Northern Ireland (1 in 40), and Scotland (1 in 65).
London’s wave of infections has been driven by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, which is vastly more infectious than previous strains. Officials have warned that healthcare systems might be put under increased pressure as the virus spreads from the young to the elderly and the unvaccinated over the holiday season.
