London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Covid infections continue to decline in UK

Covid infections continue to decline in UK

Coronavirus infections in the UK continue to fall, with one in 60 people now affected, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In the week to 21 May, infections fell in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but changed little in Scotland.

That means around one million people have the virus, which is similar to Covid levels at the start of December.

The ONS is monitoring the data to see if recent declines could be ending.

In some English regions, including the West Midlands, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East, it's not clear if infections are rising or falling.

And infections in those aged 25-34 were also unchanged, although they fell in all other age groups in England.

A form of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, called BA.2, is currently the most common cause of Covid, but two others - BA.4 and BA.5 - have recently been named "variants of concern" by UK health officials.


The ONS figures are an estimate, based on testing thousands of people at random in households across the UK.

They provide the most accurate picture of Covid infection since free testing for the public came to an end in England and Scotland.

Some free testing will continue in Wales and Northern Ireland until the end of June.

Current Covid rates are:

*  one in 60 in England - down from one in 55 the week before

*  one in 55 in Wales - down from one in 40 the week before

*  one in 80 in Northern Ireland - down from one in 60 the week before

*  one in 40 in Scotland - up from one in 45 the week before

Sarah Crofts, from the ONS's Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: "Overall infections continue in the right direction across much of the UK, falling to below a million people infected in England for the first time since early December.

"While Scotland and some regions of England saw an uncertain trend in the most recent week, it is too early to say if these uncertain trends mark the end of recent declines, and we will continue to carefully monitor the data."

Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford is set to axe the last of Wales' Covid rules, which have been in place in some form since March 2020.

The wearing of face masks will no longer be legally required in Welsh health and social care services from Monday.

Wales was the last part of the UK with Covid restrictions still in place. Guidance will remain in place strongly recommending the use of face coverings in health settings, to help protect the most vulnerable.

Official data shows the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid continues to fall.

In Scotland, daily hospital cases with the virus have dropped to fewer than 50, the lowest in nearly a year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×