Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

UK to stop publishing infections data in new year for 'living with COVID' phase

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.

UK to stop publishing infections data in new year for 'living with COVID' phase

The UK health authorities said on Monday 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 UK'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.

More For You

Police probe hate crime over migrant effigies bonfire in Northern Ireland

Models depicting migrants wearing life jackets in a small boat alongside two banners reading 'Stop the boats' and 'Veterans before refugees' are displayed on top a bonfire in Moygashel, Northern Ireland, on July 9, 2025. (Photo by PETER MURPHY/AFP via Getty Images)

Police probe hate crime over migrant effigies bonfire in Northern Ireland

POLICE in Northern Ireland have launched a hate crime investigation after a bonfire topped with effigies of migrants in a boat was set alight in the village of Moygashel, County Tyrone.

The incident, which took place on Thursday (10) night, has drawn widespread condemnation from political leaders, church officials, and human rights groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
Navratri festival in Wembley

A similar event held at the same site last year resulted in a planning enforcement notice being issued due to complaints of noise and disturbance.

Getty Images

Navratri festival in Wembley faces objections

A PROPOSED 10-day Hindu festival in Wembley, north London, has drawn objections over concerns about noise and disruption in the area.

Asian Events Media (AEM) has applied to Brent Council to host the Navratri celebration at Alperton Studios from September 22 to October 1, according to The London Standard.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan rejects claim of China’s role in border clash

Asim Munir

Pakistan rejects claim of China’s role in border clash

PAKISTAN’S army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday (7) rejected Delhi’s allegation that his military received active support from longtime ally China in its conflict with India in May.

The Indian Army’s deputy chief, Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, said last week that China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi courts Latin nations to expand trade relations

Christine Kangaloo awards Narendra Modi with the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago last Friday (4)

Modi courts Latin nations to expand trade relations

INDIA’S prime minister, Narendra Modi met Argentine president Javier Milei in Buenos Aires last Saturday (5), urging the expansion of New Delhi’s preferential trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc.

The bilateral talks with Milei were the latest in Modi’s whistle-stop diplomatic tour culminating in the summit of Brics emerging economies which began last Sunday (6) in Brazil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Minister 'open to talks' on British Sikh regiment

Lord Coaker (Photo: UK Parliament)

Minister 'open to talks' on British Sikh regiment

A FRESH parliamentary initiative to establish a dedicated Sikh regiment within the British Army has gained momentum in the House of Lords, with defence minister Lord Coaker expressing willingness to engage in further discussions about the long-debated proposal.

The issue was raised in the House of Lords on Monday (7) by Labour peer Lord Sahota, who asked whether there had been any progress on long-standing calls for a Sikh regiment.

Keep ReadingShow less