More than one in 20 people in Britain had COVID-19 in the last week of 2021, the highest infection rate recorded during the pandemic, official data shows.
An estimated 3.7 million people in the UK had the virus, up from 2.3 million the previous week, as the Omicron variant surged nationwide, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The unprecedented case levels were highest in London where as many as one in 10 people had it, according to the ONS, which is seen as one of the most reliable counts as it randomly samples the population.
Across England, an estimated one in 15 people in the community were infected with coronavirus, it reported.
People are seen at the St Thomas’ hospital in central London on December 23, 2021. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
“#COVID19 infection rates continued to increase across all age groups in England in the week ending 31 Dec 2021, with the highest rates still seen in school age children and young adults,” the ONS said.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where devolved governments have reimposed some restrictions in recent weeks, rates were slightly lower at between one in 20 and one in 25 people.
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