Covid-19 infections in Wales fall for fourth straight week

Covid-19 infections in Wales have fallen for the fourth week in a row according to the latest infection survey published by the Office for National Statistics.

Over the seven days ending 9 November, the ONS estimated 56,000 people tested positive for the virus equating to 1.84% of the population (a decrease from 2.38% in the previous week), or around 1 in 55 people.

Infections for the week ending 1 November were estimated at 72,400 or around 1 in 40 people, 23% higher than the most recent report.

Covid levels have also fallen in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with infections in England dropping below one million for the first time since mid-September.

Hospital numbers are also continuing to decrease, in fresh evidence the latest wave of the virus has peaked.

Health experts hailed the autumn booster vaccine programme as helping drive down infections.

The total number of people in private households in the UK testing positive for coronavirus stood at 1.1 million in the week to November 8, down 27% from 1.5 million in the previous week, according to the ONS.

Peaked

The recent wave looks to have peaked at just over two million infections across the UK in mid-October.

This is well below the peaks seen earlier in the year, which saw infections climb to nearly four million in July and just under five million in March.

Sarah Crofts, ONS deputy director for Covid-19 infection survey analysis, said: “Though it may be too soon to say the recent wave of infections is behind us, we have seen a decrease across the whole of the UK for a second week.

“Infections in England are now under a million and at the lowest rate in seven weeks. We’ve also seen a decrease across every English region, and in every age group.

“Whilst it is reassuring to see these decreases, we will continue to monitor the data closely over the winter months.”

In England, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the week to November 8 was 940,700, or around one in 60 people, down from 1.3 million the previous week, or one in 40.

This is the first time infections in England have dropped below one million since the week to September 17.

England also has the lowest prevalence of the virus of all four UK nations.

Scotland has seen infections fall to 97,500, or one in 55 people, down from 107,300, or one in 50.

In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate for infections is 34,200, or one in 55 people, down from 39,900, or one in 45.

The ONS infection survey is the most reliable measure of the prevalence of coronavirus and is based on a sample of swab tests from households across the UK nations.

There is a slight lag in the reporting of the data, due to the time it takes for the survey to be compiled.

Separate NHS figures published this week show the number of people in hospital with coronavirus in Wales has been on a downwards trend for nearly a month after a small October peak.