Small increase in Covid infections in Wales as ONS says the trend is uncertain

The latest Covid Infection Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics has recorded a small increase in the number of infections in Wales for the 3rd week in a row.

Describing the trend as uncertain, the study for the week ending 26 September estimated the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 was 63,400, equating to 2.09% of the population, or around 1 in 50 people.

This was an increase of just 500 from the previous week when 62,900 were reported to have Covid, , equating to 2.07% of the population, also around 1 in 50 people.

In England, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the latest survey was 1.1 million, or around one in 50 – up from 857,400 or one in 65, in the previous week.

This is the first time the figure for England has been above one million since the week to August 16.

Northern Ireland has also seen a rise, where the latest estimate for infections is 46,100, or one in 40 people, up from 23,100, or one in 80.

The trend in Scotland was also described by the ONS as “uncertain”.

In Scotland, 113,000 people were likely to have had Covid-19 in the latest survey, or around one in 45, compared with 117,100 in the previous week, which is also one in 45.

Over 70s

Overall, total Covid-19 infections in the UK have jumped 25% to their highest level since mid-August.

There has also been a “marked” rise in infection levels among over-70s.

Some 1.3 million people in private households across the UK are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus in the week to September 26, according to the ONS.

This is up from 1.1 million in the previous week.

It is the highest UK-wide total since the week to August 16 but is still some way below the 3.8 million weekly infections in early July, at the peak of the wave caused by the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants of the virus.

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

More recent figures show the number of people in hospital who have tested positive for Covid-19 is now on a clear upwards trend in much of the country, signalling a fresh wave of coronavirus is under way.

Sarah Crofts, ONS deputy director for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “Infections have continued to increase in England, reaching levels last seen in mid-August.

“The rest of the UK is a mixed picture, with uncertain trends in Wales and Scotland and a recent increase in Northern Ireland.

“Amongst the over-70s there has been a marked increase in infections in England this week, a trend which we will closely monitor as the winter months progress.”