Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 2 September 2022

In the week ending 23 August 2022, the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to decrease in all UK countries except Northern Ireland where the trend was uncertain.

Table 1: Estimated percentage of the population testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) by UK countryOfficial estimates of the percentage of the population testing positive for COVID-19 on nose and throat swabs, UK, 17 to 23 August 2022

Country	Estimatedaverage % of the population testing positive for COVID-19	95%credible interval		Estimated average number of people testing positive for COVID-19	95% credible interval		Estimated average ratio of the population testing positive for COVID-19	95% credible interval
Lower	Upper	Lower	Upper	Lower	Upper
England	1.64	1.54	1.75	893,300	837,700	952,700	1 in 60	1 in 65	1 in 55
Wales	1.56	1.19	1.98	47,300	36,200	60,300	1 in 65	1 in 85	1 in 50
Northern Ireland	1.95	1.39	2.63	35,800	25,500	48,200	1 in 50	1 in 70	1 in 40
Scotland	1.82	1.46	2.23	96,000	77,000	117,400	1 in 55	1 in 70	1 in 45

Download this table Table 1: Estimated percentage of the population testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) by UK country

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Figure 1: The percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to decrease across England, Wales, and Scotland, and the trend was uncertain in Northern Ireland in the week ending 23 August 2022

Estimated percentage of the population testing positive for COVID-19 on nose and throat swabs, UK, 21 August 2021 to 23 August 2022

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Notes:

1. Official reported estimates are plotted at a reference point believed to be most representative of the given week.
2. Official estimates are displayed over a rolling year up to the most recent week. The full time series of our official estimates from 27 April 2020 onwards are available in our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey datasets.

3. There is a higher degree of uncertainty in our estimates for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, compared with England. This is shown by wider credible intervals.

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About our estimates

Our headline estimates of the percentage of people testing positive in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are the latest official estimates.

Official estimates should be used to understand the positivity rate for a single point in time and are our best and most stable estimates, used in all previous outputs. They are based on a reference day from the statistical model of the trend in rates of positive nose and throat swab results for the latest week. All estimates are subject to uncertainty given that a sample is only part of the wider population.

The modelled estimates are more suited to understanding the recent trend. This is because the model is regularly updated to include new test results and smooths the trend over time. As swabs are not necessarily analysed in date order by the laboratory, we have not yet received test results for all swabs taken on the dates included in this analysis. Therefore, caution should be taken in over-interpreting small movements in the very latest trends. These modelled estimates can be found in our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey datasets.

More about coronavirus

Find the latest on coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK.

Explore the latest coronavirus data from the ONS and other sources.

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