Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

December 15, 2020

Community Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in England from April to November, 2020: Results from the ONS Coronavirus Infection Survey

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A nationwide serial sampling study in England (n=1.1 million samples from 280,000 individuals) shows that the first wave (April to June) and the first part of the second wave (August to November) were characterized by different risk factors. Having a patient-facing role was a significant factor in the first wave but not in the second, whereas younger age was strongly associated with infection risk in the second wave. By the end of September, the percentage of those aged 17 to 24 years testing positive was 6 times higher than those aged 70 years or older. Percentage of individuals not reporting symptoms around the time of their positive test ranged from 45 to 68% throughout the study period.

Pouwels et al. (Dec 10, 2020). Community Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in England from April to November, 2020: Results from the ONS Coronavirus Infection Survey. The Lancet Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30282-6