Less than a third of people testing positive for coronavirus reported having symptoms

Less than a third of people testing positive for coronavirus reported having symptoms, new figures have shown.
CoronavirusCoronavirus
Coronavirus

An analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that only around 28% of people testing positive for Covid-19 reported any evidence of symptoms at the time of their swab test or at either the preceding or subsequent tests.

The remaining 72% of positive cases either did not report having any of the specific or general symptoms on the day of their positive swab test, preceding or subsequent swab tests or did not answer both questions, the ONS added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It said that the findings, published on Tuesday, suggested that there was a "potentially large number" of asymptomatic cases of the virus.

The ONS added: "Of those who had tested positive, only 28% reported any evidence of symptoms at the time of their swab test or at either the preceding or subsequent swab test.

"The remaining 72% of positive cases either did not report having any of the specific or general symptoms on the day of their positive swab test, preceding swab test or subsequent swab test or did not answer both questions.

"This suggests there is a potentially large number of asymptomatic cases, but it is important to note that symptoms were self-reported rather than professionally diagnosed."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The symptoms respondents were asked to report were fever, muscle ache, fatigue, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, headache, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, loss of taste or loss of smell.

But the ONS stressed that its analysis was based on 165 people in its sample who had tested positive and any false positives, people without the disease who test positive, could have an effect on the results.

The new analysis, based on data from the ONS Coronavirus Infection Survey, also found that people in one-person households were estimated to be around twice as likely to test positive for Covid-19 on a swab test than those in two-person households.

The ONS said that there was no evidence to suggest that those living in larger households, containing three, four or more people, were at higher or lower risk of testing positive than those living in two-person households.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It said it will investigate why one-person households might be more likely to test positive.

The ONS added: "There is some evidence to suggest that household size affects the percentage of individuals testing positive for Covid-19 on a swab test taken between June 8 and August 2 2020.

"Those in one-person households were estimated to be around 2.1 times more likely to test positive for Covid-19 on a swab test than those in two-person households.

"Recently, we have introduced new questions in the study about contacts, so we will investigate why those in one-person households might be more likely to test positive in a future article."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The total number of deaths at Yorkshire hospitals stands at 2,911.

NHS England and NHS Improvement publish the number of patients who have died in hospital and tested positive for Covid-19 in England.

Since Tuesday 28 April, NHS England and NHS Improvement also reports the number of patient deaths where there has been no Covid-19 positive test result, but where Covid-19 is documented as a direct or underlying cause of death on part 1 or part 2 of the death certification process.

This change has been introduced for deaths that occurred on 24 April and subsequently.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This means the NHS England and NHS Improvement data collection provides information on all Covid-19 related (suspected and confirmed) deaths in England hospitals.

A message from the Editor: Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds. Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you

Laura Collins

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.