Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

One in 14 Brits may have already had coronavirus

One in 14 Brits has already been infected with coronavirus, ‘hugely important’ new research suggests.
A study of more than 20,000 people across the UK found that 7.1% of the population have been infected with Sars-Cov-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19.

That means nearly 5 million people could have been infected if the findings are representative.

But rates of previous infection were found to vary significantly across different sectors of society, according to the research which measured antibodies. Antibody tests check a person’s blood for antibodies, which indicate past infection with a virus.

The major new study, aiming to examine the extent of previous infection across the country, found that infection rates varied significantly by age, region, ethnicity and deprivation.

Among participants over the age of 70, just 5.4% had positive antibody tests, compared to 10.8% of those under 30.

The rate of previous infection was higher among black (11.3%) and South Asian (9%) participants compared to white people (6.9%), according to the UK Biobank study.

Previous infection was least common among people who live in the South West of England and Scotland – where only 4.4% of the population had a positive antibody test.

But one in 10 Londoners (10.4%) has previously been infected.

People from more deprived backgrounds were also more likely to have had a previous infection of the virus, with 6.1% of the wealthiest showing a positive antibody result compared to 8.9% of the most deprived.

Researchers found no difference between men and women for previous infection rates.

But they said that for some groups, infection rates were significantly higher than the general population. For example, 18.4% of participants from ethnic minority groups who are aged under 30 and living in London have previously been infected.

The study saw blood antibody tests conducted on 20,200 people over the age of 18 – a combination of existing Biobank participants, their children and grandchildren.

Participants provided a finger prick blood sample – and they are continuing to provide samples going forwards as well as information about any symptoms as the study continues.

The samples were examined by scientists at Oxford University.

These are the first findings from the study, which will continue throughout the year.

UK Biobank principal investigator, Sir Rory Collins – BHF professor of medicine and epidemiology at Oxford University, said: ‘The extraordinary response to our request for volunteers allowed us to set up a large prospective study of Sars-CoV-2 antibody levels that is representative of the UK population.

‘It is crucial that the participants continue to send blood samples every month, to enable us to monitor changes in the rates of infection as the UK comes out of lockdown and to understand the persistence of antibodies to the coronavirus as a measure of natural immunity.’

Lord Bethell, Minister for Innovation, said: ‘This is a hugely important study, and we are incredibly grateful to the 20,000 people who have taken part or will do so in the future. The insight gained will be invaluable to help us understand how long antibodies last, any associated risk factors among different groups of people, and what this could mean for potential immunity to the virus.

‘The findings will help inform our future response to managing the pandemic, and it’s vital that we continue to drive forward such important research.’

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said: ‘Understanding the rates of infection and the persistence of antibody levels will be helpful for managing the ongoing process of coming out of lockdown safely, as well as supporting the development of vaccines against Sars-CoV-2.’

It comes as the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBA) said it had seen an ‘overwhelming response’ from Covid-19 volunteers asked to take part in a separate new study.

NHSBA has provided a text messaging service recruiting people who tested positive for Covid-19 for a new piece of research which aims to analyse the whole genome sequences of people who have been either very severely affected by the illness, or who have had it with only mild or even no symptoms.

As a result of the text messaging service, 7,000 people have signed up to the genetic study by the University of Edinburgh with Genomics England and GenOMICC consortium.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×