Covid risk no longer increases when traveling abroad



[ad_1]

Going abroad no longer increases the risk of contracting Covid-19, the latest formal data reveal.

A survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the infection rate among those who have traveled abroad in the past 30 days is roughly the same as that of people who have remained in the UK.

Previous iterations of the long-term study to monitor Covid in the population had found that those traveling abroad had higher positivity rates.

Between 25 September and 8 October only 3% of participants went abroad and 0.49% of those who had declared not to have done so in the last 30 days tested positive compared to 0.58% who had traveled.

Experts said this actually means there is “no longer a difference” in risk between the two groups.

Fifty-eight destinations are currently on the government’s “travel corridors” list, meaning quarantine is not required upon return.

The ONS study, which reported the “characteristics” among those who tested positive for Covid-19, also found that urban areas in England have higher positivity rates than rural areas.

It showed that 34% of those who tested positive had no symptoms at the time of the test.

Meanwhile, only 32% of those who tested positive had cough, fever, or a loss of taste and smell at the time of the test, despite these being three of the main officially recognized symptoms.

Katherine Kent, co-head of analysis for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “The analysis now shows that, unlike before, there is no longer a difference in the rate of infections among those who have traveled to ‘foreign and those who are not “t.

“Looking back over the entire duration of the survey, we still see that a fairly low percentage of people who test positive report any symptoms at the time of the test, even though this has increased from a low in late June and July.”

.

[ad_2]
Source link