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This page was last updated at 12:00 on 2 July 2021.
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Infections and deaths
Delta variant infections continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland
2 July 2021
Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases that are compatible with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland in the week ending 26 June 2021.
The estimated percentage of the community population (those not in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings) that had COVID-19 was:
0.39% in England (1 in 260 people)
0.22% in Wales (1 in 450 people)
0.15% in Northern Ireland (1 in 670 people)
0.68% in Scotland (1 in 150 people)
The percentage of people testing positive increased in most English regions, except for the East of England and South West.
The COVID-19 positivity rate in England was lowest in groups aged 70 years and over.
Because of low positivity rates, caution should be taken in over-interpreting small movements in the latest trends for both age and regional breakdowns.
The chart shows that positive tests where the virus is too low for the variant to be identifiable are those that are likely to be people very recently infected, those recovering from coronavirus or people infected after vaccination. Not all cases positive on the ORF1ab and N-gene will be the Alpha variant, and not all cases also positive on the S-gene will be the Delta variant.
The percentage of people testing positive whose results are compatible with the Delta variant continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland in the week ending 26 June 2021
Modelled percentage of cases compatible with the Alpha variant, compatible with the Delta variant and where the virus was too low for the variant to be identifiable, based on nose and throat swabs, daily, from 6 May to 26 June 2021, UK
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Data for percentage testing positive for COVID-19 by variant in UK countries (XLSX, 66 KB)
Zero coronavirus deaths in Wales for first time since March 2020 lockdown
29 June 2021
Wales has registered zero deaths involving COVID-19 for the first time since first national lockdown was introduced in March 2020.
In the week ending 18 June 2021, there were no deaths in Wales and one fatality in the previous week (11 June 2021).
During the same period in England, there was an increase in the number of deaths involving COVID-19, from 83 in the week ending 11 June to 102 in the week ending 18 June, accounting for 1.1% of all deaths.
Deaths involving the coronavirus increased in in the North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, and the South East (with no change in the remaining regions). The largest increase was reported in the North West (seven more deaths).
The number of deaths registered was above the five-year average for Week 24 in England but below the five-year average for Wales
Number of deaths registered by week, England and Wales, 28 December 2019 to 18 June 2021
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Download number of deaths registered by week (XLSX, 32 KB)
Notes:
Figures exclude deaths of non-residents.
Based on date a death was registered rather than occurred.
All figures for 2020 and 2021 are provisional.
The number of deaths registered in a week are affected when bank holidays occur.
The average for 2015 to 2019 provides a comparison of the number of deaths expected per week in a usual (non-pandemic) year.
COVID infections more prevalent in primary schools than secondary in May
1 July 2021
In Round 5 (5 to 21 May 2021) of the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, 0.65% of primary school pupils and 0.05% of secondary school pupils tested positive for current coronavirus (COVID-19) infection . The survey cannot report staff infection rates due to the low number of positive cases.
Despite oversampling in the North West, where the Delta variant was most prevalent in May, the survey found very low numbers of such cases. Over four in five (84%) positive cases were compatible with the Alpha variant compared to 96% in Round 4 (March 2021), suggesting that the Delta variant was still concentrated in specific areas of the country at the time of testing.
For primary school staff, the seroconversion rate between Round 4 and 5 (March and May 2021) was 1.4 per 1,000 person weeks, compared with 2.1 per 1,000 in secondary schools during the same period. The rate in primary schools was significantly lower than the rate seen between Round 2 and 4 (December 2020 and March 2021).
The seroconversion rate tells us how many people have developed antibodies, capturing both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections that may have been missed between testing rounds. In May, 24.37% of primary school staff and 21.79% of secondary school tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Almost 9 in 10 (86.58%) staff had received at least one dose, and 43.09% had received both doses of COVID-19 vaccination.
Percentage of primary and secondary school pupils testing positive for current COVID-19 infection
England, 3 to 20 November 2020 (Round 1), 30 November to 11 December 2020 (Round 2), 15 to 31 March 2021 (Round 4) and 5 to 21 May 2021 (Round 5)
Source: Office for National Statistics – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Schools Infection Survey
Notes:
- To ensure consistent comparisons between rounds, only the 11 local authorities with coverage in Rounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 for at least two primary and two secondary schools in the sample are included in the total figures provided. These are not necessarily the same schools or participants tested between rounds.
- Test results are only available for those who had enrolled in the survey and present in the school building on the day of testing. Under current guidance you would expect these participants to have no reported COVID-19 symptoms and not be under self-isolation.
- The number of positive test results in Round 4 from primary school pupils are too small to present because of statistical disclosure criteria.
- Estimates have been weighted and are representative of the ethnicity, gender, and age for all pupils in the sampled local authorities.
Download this chart Percentage of primary and secondary school pupils testing positive for current COVID-19 infection
Image .csv .xlsCOVID-19 reinfections are rare and milder than initial infections
29 June 2021
The rate of reinfection for coronavirus (COVID-19) is low, according to analysis from the COVID-19 Infection Survey.
There is also evidence that COVID-19 reinfections are milder than the first infection.
The strength of an infection is measured by a cycle threshold (Ct) value. Positive results with a low Ct value (30 or less) indicate episodes of infection with a higher viral load and tests with a high Ct value (more than 30) indicate a lower viral load. Most people who were reinfected had a low Ct value in the initial episode and a high Ct value in the reinfection episode.
Those who were reinfected were also less likely to report symptoms within 35 days following the observed first positive test in their reinfection episode (57.1%) than in their initial infection episode (21.8%), suggesting reinfections are more likely to be asymptomatic.
COVID-19 reinfections were more likely to be asymptomatic
Minimum Ct value and self-reported symptoms by infection episode, 26 April 2020 to 5 June 2021, UK
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Minimum Ct value and self-reported symptoms by infection episode (XLSX, 23KB)
To distinguish reinfection from an ongoing initial infection, the analysis defines a reinfection as:
a new positive test 90 days or more after an initial first positive test which was preceded by at least one negative test
a new positive test following four consecutive negative tests regardless of the time since the first positive.
The survey includes individuals from the community population and excludes those in hospitals, care homes, or other institutional settings in the UK.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections increased in people not working in patient-facing healthcare roles
30 June 2021
The percentage of the population testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK increased for adults not in patient-facing healthcare job roles (including those not working) in the weeks prior to 14 June 2021.
In contrast, the percentage testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK for adults in patient-facing healthcare job roles remained low. This is after a peak in both groups in January 2021, which was more pronounced for adults in patient-facing job roles than those not in patient-facing healthcare job roles. Patient-facing healthcare job roles include working in healthcare establishments such as hospitals, and do not include job roles in social care or care homes.
In the weeks prior to 14 June 2021, the percentage of the population testing positive in the UK continued to be low for those in patient-facing healthcare roles, but has increased in those not in patient-facing healthcare roles
Estimated percentage of the population testing positive for COVID-19 on nose and throat swabs by adults in patient-facing and not in patient-facing healthcare job roles, UK, 21 September 2020 to 14 June 2021
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Notes:
- All results are provisional and subject to revision.
- There are fewer people in patient-facing job roles in our sample than those in non-patient-facing job roles. Therefore, the estimates for patient-facing roles have a larger degree of uncertainty, represented by wider confidence intervals.
- This analysis covers the entirety of the UK and is therefore not comparable with analysis published before 20 May 2021, which includes individuals in non-patient and patient-facing job roles by age in England.
In June 2021, 61% of people in the UK who tested positive for COVID-19 with a strong positive test reported symptoms within 35 days of the test. People with a strong positive test were more likely to report “classic” symptoms such as cough, fatigue and headache over gastrointestinal symptoms or loss of smell and taste.
The number of socially distanced and physical contacts reported by adults and school-aged children outside their home has been increasing since March 2021 up to 14 June 2021 across the UK.
Economy, business and jobs
The economy grew by 2.3% in April 2021
11 June 2021
Real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have grown by 2.3% in March 2021, the fastest monthly growth since July 2020, as government restrictions affecting economic activity continued to ease.
The output approach to GDP shows that April’s level is 3.7% below the levels seen in February 2020, however, it is now 1.2% above its initial recovery peak in October 2020.
GDP is estimated to have grown by 2.3% in April 2021 as government restrictions affecting economic activity continued to ease
Monthly index, January 2007 until April 2021, 2018 = 100
Source: Office for National Statistics – GDP monthly estimate
Download this chart GDP is estimated to have grown by 2.3% in April 2021 as government restrictions affecting economic activity continued to ease
Image .csv .xlsThe service sector grew by 3.4% in April 2021, with consumer facing services re-opening in line with the easing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions and more pupils returning to onsite lessons.
Accommodation service activities grew by 68.6% as caravan parks and holiday lets opened up, while food and beverage service activities grew by 39.0% as pubs, restaurants and cafes were able to serve customers in outdoor seating areas.
Output in the production sector fell by 1.3% in April 2021. Within production, mining and quarrying output contracted sharply, by 15.0%, in April 2021 because of planned temporary closures for maintenance of oil field production sites.
Construction output fell by 2.0% in April 2021, following exceptionally strong growth in March. This is the first fall in construction since December 2020, when it fell by 2.2%.
Seated dining levels dropped by four percentage points
1 July 2021
Seated dining levels fell by four percentage points in the week to 28 June 2021, according to data from OpenTable.
The fall in the seven-day rolling average estimate of UK seated diner bookings when compared with the previous week brought the level to 124% of that seen in the equivalent week in 2019.
Manchester was the UK region with the largest decrease in seated diner bookings in the week to 28 June 2021 as its level fell by 10 percentage points. Meanwhile, the level stayed broadly the same in London for the same period.
Between 31 May and 28 June 2021, the seven-day rolling average estimates of seated diners across the UK has decreased by 49 percentage points. People were permitted to dine indoors in England shortly after 31 May.
People and social impacts
Half of working adults not working from home
2 July 2021
Half (50%) of working adults reported working entirely at a place of work other than their home in the past seven days. This figure is similar to the 49% who reported not working from home last week. The proportion of workers who don’t work from home has been steadily increasing from 34% in mid-February.
Around half (49%) of adults said they met up indoors with someone not in their household, childcare or support bubble in the past seven days, compared with 44% last week and 50% in early June. Over half (56%) of adults met up outdoors, continuing the fall from 60% last week and 65% in early June.
The proportion of adults reporting always or often maintaining social distancing was 68%, similar to 69% last week but significantly less than 85% in mid-April. Similarly, 73% avoided physical contact outside their home this week, compared with 72% last week and 86% between 14 and 18 April.
Measures of personal wellbeing have remained relatively stable since early May 2021. This week, the average score for life satisfaction was 7.0 out of 10 and 7.3 for the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile. Happiness is also 7.0, having decreased slightly in recent weeks, while anxiety levels remain at 3.8.
Levels of life-satisfaction and feeling that things done in life are worthwhile remain stable
Adults in Great Britain, March 2020 to June 2021
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Data on the life satisfaction of adults and their feelings of worthwhile (XLSX, 37KB)
Almost 9 in 10 adults say they have had their first coronavirus vaccine
2 July 2021
Positive sentiment towards coronavirus vaccines remains high, at 96% among adults in Great Britain.
Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) adults reported having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine when surveyed between 23 and 27 June 2021, and 63% reported receiving their second dose.
Among young people aged 16 to 29 years, 93% were positive towards the vaccines in the latest survey, between 23 and 27 June 2021.
For the first time, we have also looked at vaccine hesitancy among specific younger age groups during the period 26 May to 20 June 2021.
Around 14% of young people aged 16 to 17 years in Great Britain reported hesitancy towards the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, while 86% felt positive sentiment towards them.
This was the highest vaccine hesitancy among younger age groups, although most 16 to 17-year-olds are not currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
Among those aged 18 to 21 years, 9% reported hesitancy, compared with 10% among those aged 22 to 25 years.
Almost a million people reporting “long COVID” symptoms in the UK
1 July 2021
Around one 1 in every 67 people in the UK were experiencing self-reported “long COVID” in early June 2021, a slight change from 1 in 63 (over a million) the month before.
As of 6 June, an estimated 962,000 people in private households were reporting symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected infection that could not be explained by something else.
Almost two-thirds of those (65.9%) had their day-to-day activities adversely affected as a result, with 18.5% reporting they had been “limited a lot”.
Fatigue was the most common symptom individuals reported as part of the experience of long COVID (535,000 people), followed by shortness of breath (397,000), muscle aches (309,000), and difficulty concentrating (295,000).
As a proportion of the UK population, prevalence of self-reported long COVID was greatest in: people aged 35 to 69 years; females; people living in the most deprived areas; those working in health or social care; and those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability.
Statistically significant fall in proportion self-isolating after the onset of coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
28 June 2021
Four in five people reported fully adhering to self-isolation requirements after the onset of coronavirus symptoms in June 2021 – a fall from May.
However, it remains broadly similar to the proportion seen in March, when 82% of people who tested positive fully adhered to self-isolation requirements.
Data collected between 7 and 12 June show 79% of those who tested positive followed self-isolation requirements, from symptoms beginning throughout the mandatory 10-day period, a statistically significant fall from 86% between 10 and 15 May.
Non-adherence was most likely to take place in the period between the onset of symptoms (prompting a test) and receiving a positive coronavirus test result.
Before a positive test result was received, reported adherence was 79%. Once a positive test result was received, reported adherence was statistically significantly higher in the first 24 hours (98%) and for the remainder of the isolation period (95%).
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We continue to respond to data requests from the public, media and government during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Responses are published in our list of user requested data.
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