The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England has reduced to half since March, facilitated by the rapid rollout of vaccines; however, new variants continue to threaten, suggest survey data released on Thursday.

The REACT study, done by scientists at Imperial College London, noted that the number of infections has declined with an average of only one in 1,000 individuals infected. The study is among the biggest COVID-19 surveys of its kind in England that had more than 127,000 volunteers tested in England from 15 April through 3 May. The national prevalence in England has been reported to have come down to 0.1% from 0.2% in March. The highest prevalence is among 25-34 year olds at 0.21%, and the lowest among the 75 plus individuals at 0.05%, noted the study.

The REACT study does not cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland… (Reuters, May 13, 2021)