Today: 8 October 2025
27 December 2022
2 mins read

UK govt to stop publishing coronavirus data

The country’s remaining COVID restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate at home with symptoms, were removed earlier this year…reports Asian Lite News

Health authorities said on December 26 that they will stop publishing their regular COVID-19 infections modelling data in the new year because it is seen as “no longer necessary” as the country moves to a phase of living with the virus with the help of vaccines and medicines.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that it will continue to monitor COVID like other common viral illnesses such as seasonal flu. Since April this year, the data on the reproductive rate, or the R value speed at which the novel coronavirus infects people, has been published fortnightly as a monitoring tool.

“During the pandemic, the R value and growth rate served as a useful and simple indicator to inform public health action and government decisions,” said Dr. Nick Watkins, chair of the UKHSA Epidemiology Modelling Review Group (EMRG).

“Now that vaccines and therapeutics have allowed us to move to a phase where we are living with COVID-19, with surveillance scaled down but still closely monitored through a number of different indicators, the publication of this specific data is no longer necessary,” he said.

“We continue to monitor COVID-19 activity in a similar way to how we monitor a number of other common illnesses and diseases. All data publications are kept under constant review and this modelling data can be reintroduced promptly if needed, for example, if a new variant of concern was to be identified,” he added.

The EMRG said its recent detailed review concluded that the next publication of its so-called “consensus statement” on COVID-19 on January 6, 2023, “will be the last”. The U.K.’s COVID incidence data will continue to be accessible from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey.

The country’s remaining COVID restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate at home with symptoms, were removed earlier this year. Amid an expected rise in infections over the winter months, the health authorities had urged those with signs of respiratory illness to avoid mixing during the festive holiday period.

“We are seeing a rise in cases and hospital admissions for both flu and COVID-19 as people continue to mix indoors this winter. Hospitalisation rates due to COVID-19 remain highest in those aged 65 and over, so it is vital that everyone who is eligible continues to come forward to accept their booster jab before the end of the year,” Dr. Mary Ramsay, Director of Public Health Programmes, said last week.

“Both COVID-19 and flu can cause severe illness or even death for those most vulnerable in our communities, and so it is also important to avoid contact with other people if you are unwell in order to help stop infections spreading over the Christmas and new year period,” she said.

ALSO READ-China to ease Covid quarantine rule from Jan 8

Previous Story

Data of 400 mn Twitter users stolen, claims hacker

Next Story

Mobile, Internet usage to drive India’s digital ad spend to $21 bn by 2028

Latest from -Top News

OCTOBER 7: Stop the Violence Now, Says Guterres

Guterres recalled that “the attackers brutally killed more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals….reports Asian Lite News UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza, Israel, and

Piyush Goyal Heads to Doha for Trade Talks

During the visit, both sides are expected to discuss the proposed India–Qatar Free Trade Agreement (FTA)….reports Asian Lite News Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Doha, Qatar, on

Hamas Heads to Egypt for Gaza Talks

The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan…reports Asian Lite News A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Parliamentary watchdog flays Rwanda plan

Scottish National Party lawmaker Joanna Cherry, who chairs the committee,

SKVP: A delectable variety of Mumbai Street Foods in UK

Review Feature by columnist Riccha Grrover for Asian Lite International