ABOUT 1 in 12 people in the South East had coronavirus by December, new figures show.

Antibody data on infections in private households suggest that one in eight people in England contracted the virus by this date, with one in 10 in Wales, one in 13 in Northern Ireland, one in 11 in Scotland.

The figures come from the Office for National Statistics’ Covid-19 Infection Survey in partnership with the University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England and the Wellcome Trust.

The Argus:

They are based on the proportion of the population who are likely to have tested positive for antibodies to Covid-19, based on blood test results from a sample of people aged 16 and over.

The ONS found “substantial variation” between regions in England, with 17 per cent of people in private households in Yorkshire and the Humber estimated to have tested positive for antibodies in December, compared with 5 per cent in south-west England.

In the South East, the figure was 8 per cent. This figure is now likely to be higher due to a flood of new cases in the region following the Christmas and New Year period.

The study came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed he is self-isolating after receiving an alert through the NHS Covid-19 app.

 

In a video posted on Twitter, he said: “Last night I was pinged by the NHS coronavirus app, so that means I’ll be self-isolating at home, not leaving the house at all until Sunday.”

Mr Hancock, who has previously had coronavirus, said self-isolating is important because it is “how we break the chains of transmission”.

Meanwhile, some family doctors continue to express their frustration about the rollout of vaccines across the UK.