Covid infections three times more prevalent among five to 11-year-olds, study finds
23 December 2021, 00:30 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56
Covid infections among five to 11-year-olds are three times more prevalent than the general population in England, research has found.
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An estimated 4.47 per cent of primary school-aged children have the virus in contrast with 1.41 per cent across the country overall, according to the Government-backed REACT-1 study.
But the speed of the vaccine rollout to secondary school-aged children and the booster rollout among adults may have helped to curb infection rates among other age groups, researchers said.
It comes after the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also approved jabs for children aged five to 11 who are in a clinical risk group or a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its advice afterwards too, saying those at risk in the age group should be offered a primary course of vaccination.
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Professor Paul Elliott, who led the study, said the findings showed the R value - the average number of further cases produced by one infected person - began shooting up at the start of December due to the Omicron variant.
He said: "From December the proportion of samples which are Omicron has been rapidly increasing, reflecting both the replacement of Delta by Omicron but also the rapid rise in Omicron."
The spread was found to be most rapid in London, with the R value reaching 1.62.
Prof Elliott added: "Compared to the Delta variant, the proportion of Omicron cases is increasing rapidly.
"The positive news is that both the teenage vaccination and booster programmes have already shown encouraging results, with prevalence amongst 12 to 17-year-olds and those aged 65 and above dropping significantly since the beginning of November."
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The latest REACT-1 data is yet more evidence that boosters are vital in protecting us from the Omicron variant.
"While infections may be rising rapidly across the country, you can protect yourself, your friends, family and community by getting boosted now - like 28 million others across the UK so far."
