UKHSA and ONS publish newest Winter CIS information

The Winter CIS was launched collectively by the UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) and the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) in November 2023 to ship real-time prevalence and positivity information to help the surveillance of COVID-19 locally and assist perceive the winter pressures on the NHS.

The research collects information by means of self-reported lateral movement gadget (LFD) outcomes and questionnaire responses from roughly 150,000 members throughout England and Scotland, offering as much as 30,000 LFD check outcomes per week.

The most recent report estimates a prevalence of 4.2% throughout the overall inhabitants in England and Scotland. Which means that roughly 1 in each 24 individuals might check constructive for COVID-19 an infection on the present time.

Prevalence charges had been highest in individuals aged 18 to 44 years, and the best prevalence regionally was present in London.

UKHSA is urging all these eligible to come back ahead for a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine earlier than the window closes on 31 January 2024.

You might be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine if you’re:

• aged 65 years or over (by 31 March 2024)
• aged 6 months to 64 years and are at elevated danger
• residing in a care house for older adults
• a frontline well being or social care employee
• aged 16 to 64 years and are a carer
• aged 12 to 64 years and reside with somebody with a weakened immune system

Professor Steven Riley, Director Common for Information and Surveillance, UKHSA stated:

At the moment of 12 months, the chilly climate, shorter days and elevated socialising imply that the potential for transmission of respiratory viruses like COVID-19 is especially excessive. This, in addition to the attainable impression of recent variants, means it is not surprising to see instances growing.

If you’re exhibiting signs of COVID-19 or different respiratory sicknesses, it is best to attempt to restrict your contact with different individuals as a lot as attainable, particularly those that are older or extra weak.

It is essential that these people who find themselves most prone to extreme sickness and hospitalisation on account of COVID-19 come ahead for his or her seasonal vaccination to verify they’ve the absolute best safety this winter. You will get a vaccine by means of your GP, by reserving with a neighborhood NHS vaccination service, or you will discover a COVID-19 vaccination walk-in website.”

Extra info

Though the primary vaccine supply programme has now ceased and you’ll not ebook a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine on-line or by calling NHS 119, you should still have the ability to ebook a COVID-19 vaccine with a neighborhood NHS vaccination service, or you will discover a COVID-19 vaccination walk-in website.

The final date it is possible for you to to get your seasonal COVID-19 vaccine is 31 January 2024.

After Christmas, UKHSA and ONS will launch the following set of Winter CIS outcomes on 11 January. This can be adopted by one other report on 18 January and can revert to fortnightly thereafter.

The UKHSA estimates are based mostly on the identical underlying information because the positivity numbers reported by ONS. UKHSA‘s estimates of prevalence account for the identified sensitivity of the LFD assay and the composition of the research cohort.