Covid-19: the areas of the UK with the highest coronavirus infection rates according to ONS data

Around 1.5 million people are estimated to have Covid in the UK with the estimated percentage of people testing positive for the virus increasing in Scotland, new figures published today show.

In the week ending 28 February 2023, 1.3 million people in England were estimated to have Covid, representing around 1 in 40 people, according to the latest Coronavirus Infection Survey published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This equates to 2.38% of the population.

Northern Ireland was found to have the lowest infection rate in the UK. The ONS estimates 24,700 people there had Covid, representing around 1 in 75 people, or 1.35% of the population. In Wales, the estimated number of people testing positive for the virus was 66,200, equating to 2.14% of the population, or around 1 in 45 people.

The ONS said it was uncertain what trend the three nations were following but identified an increase in infection rates in Scotland. It estimated that 128,400 people were infected, equating to 2.44% of the population, a 0.2 percentage point increase on the previous week’s figures when 2.22% were estimated to have the virus. The ONS estimates around 1 in 40 people in Scotland have Covid. The Infection Survey is based on PCR tests gathered from private households.

On a monthly basis the ONS publishes infection rates at a sub-regional level. These areas group several local authorities together into a bigger cluster and show how infection rates vary at a local level across the country. Here we reveal the 17 subregions of the UK with the highest Covid infection rates.

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