Coronavirus infections are now highest among 30 to 39 year olds in England

Infection rates have fallen across all age groups and regions. (Photo: Shutterstock)Infection rates have fallen across all age groups and regions. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Infection rates have fallen across all age groups and regions. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The latest reports from Public Health England (PHE) show that coronavirus infections are currently highest among 30 to 39 year olds.

The latest release, published on 4 February, did find that coronavirus infections in England have dropped across all regions and across all age groups, however. This seems to suggest that the national lockdown measures currently in place are starting to have some affect on transmission of the virus.

Nonetheless, experts and health officials have warned members of the public not to get complacent about the virus, with hospitals still experiencing a huge amount of pressure.

PHE's medical director, Dr Yvonne Doyle, said: "Dropping our guard at this stage could waste everything we have endured over the last few weeks.

“However encouraging it is that case rates and hospitalisations continue to fall across all age groups and regions, it is important to reduce the level of infection in our communities because the rates remain very high."

'It is dangerous to relax restrictions prematurely'

Though infection rates among 30 to 39 year olds have dropped from the previous week, they still account for the highest rate of infection compared to other age groups.

In the seven days to 31 January, 30 to 39 year olds saw an infection rate equivalent to 358.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Admissions to hospital for coronavirus have also dropped from 33.6 per 100,000 people to 25.26 per 100,000 people during this time period, with the West Midlands currently experiencing the highest demand.

NHS providers chief executive Chris Hopson warned, however, that Covid-positive inpatients are at a level 40 per cent higher than experienced during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020.

He said: “The NHS currently has nearly 70 per cent more critical care beds than it did last winter, with some trusts still having to open more ICU beds last week to accommodate the sickest patients.”

Mr Hopson also cautioned against repeating mistakes made in 2020 by relaxing restrictions prematurely, which eventually led to a resurgence in infections.

“We saw last year how dangerous it is to relax restrictions prematurely," he said.