Covid infections in Wales fall for seventh week in a row

Covid infections in Wales have fallen for the seventh week in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics latest weekly infection survey.

The ONS estimates the number of people testing positive for the virus in Wales for the week ending 5 September was 28,200, equating to 0.93% of the population, or around 1 in 110 people.

This reflects a fall of 3,300 on the previous week when 31,500 or around 1 in 95 people were calculated to have had the virus.

The proportion of people estimated to have Covid in Wales remains the lowest in the UK, however the ONS describes the current trend as “uncertain”.

Rates of Covid-19 infection in Scotland have increased for the second week in a row, according to the new figures.

The Infection Survey found around one in 45 people in Scotland had the virus in the week to September 5, up from one in 50 the week before.

The most recent figure equates to around 2.16% of the population, or an estimated 113,500 people.

Scotland has the highest rates of Covid-19 of any country in the UK.

England

In England, the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in the week to September 5 was 705,800, or around one in 75 – down from 770,800, or one in 70, in the seven days to August 28.

The ONS also described the trend in Northern Ireland as “uncertain”. It estimated that 33,700, or one in 55 people had the virus, compared with 38,000, or one in 50 the previous week.

Overall, total Covid-19 infections in the UK have dropped to their lowest level for nearly a year.

Some 881,200 people in private households are estimated to have had coronavirus in the week to 5 September.

This is down 7% on the previous week and is the lowest UK-wide total since the week to September 25 2021, when the number stood at 837,800.

The overall number of infections has been on a downwards path since early July, when the total hit 3.8 million at the peak of the wave caused by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the virus.

The 7% drop in the latest figures is the smallest week-on-week percentage fall since the current decline began, however.