Initial findings from the first wave of the pilot phase of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey for England

Based on tests conducted between 27 April and 10 May 2020, it is estimated 148,000 people in England had COVID-19 (95% CI 94,000 to 222,000), equating to 0.27% (95% CI 0.17% to 0.41%) of the community population in England (excluding hospitals, care homes).

SPS commentary:

The rate of positive tests was higher in those who self-reported working in patient-facing healthcare roles or resident-facing social care roles (1.33%; 95% CI 0.39% to 3.28%) than in those not working in these types of roles (0.22%; 0.13-0.35%). There was no evidence of any differences in the proportions testing positive in different age categories.

The pilot survey will include 10,000 households in England. All individuals aged two years and over in sampled households are invited to provide samples for testing, meaning approximately 25,000 people will be involved in the pilot study. This analysis included swab tests from a total of 10,705 participants, with 33 individuals in 30 households testing positive for COVID-19.

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