More than half of UK (57%) and overseas (68%) arrivals felt safe with social distancing during their journey in September 2021.
Mask wearing helped the majority of UK arrivals feel safe during their journey
Proportion of interviewed UK and overseas residents categorised by how safe they felt because of the wearing of face coverings, UK, April to September 2021
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Meanwhile, the percentage of returning UK residents who said coronavirus (COVID-19) testing was very important increased slightly to 46% in September 2021, from 45% in August.
Most UK residents arriving into the UK said they found overseas COVID-19 restrictions either difficult or very difficult to follow (82%). This was up slightly from 79% in August.
Many clinically extremely vulnerable people still shielding
Around one in five (22%) people previously considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) to coronavirus (COVID-19) are continuing to shield. About two-thirds (68%) report that they are no longer shielding but still take extra precautions to protect themselves.
The average life satisfaction scores of CEV people were lower for those continuing to shield (6.3 out of 10), compared with those not shielding but taking precautions (7.2) and those not shielding and not taking extra precautions (7.5).
Of CEV people surveyed, 10% reported feeling lonely often or always, a statistically significantly higher rate than among the general adult population of England (6%).
The majority (94%) of CEV people had left home in the last seven days, a higher proportion compared with previous waves (90%, 21 to 26 June 2021 and 89%, 17 to 22 May 2021, when the shielding guidance had paused but not yet ended).
Life satisfaction was statistically significantly lower in those who were continuing to follow the previous shielding guidance compared with those who were not
Unvaccinated people in England 32 times more likely to die of COVID-19
Unvaccinated people in England were 32 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who have been fully vaccinated.
Analysis of weekly age-adjusted risk of death between 2 January and 24 September 2021 showed the age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for deaths involving COVID-19 were consistently lower for people who had received two vaccinations compared to one or no vaccinations.
The characteristics of the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations have changed over time because of the selective roll-out of the vaccine and differences in uptake.
Age-standardised mortality rates for deaths involving COVID-19 are consistently lower for people who have received two vaccinations
Weekly age-standardised mortality rates for deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England, deaths occurring between Week 1 (week ending 8 January 2021) and Week 38 (week ending 24 September 2021)
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Data for age-standardised mortality rates or deaths involving COVID-19 (XLSX, 41KB)
The weekly ASMRs for people who had received two vaccination doses are lower than those for people who have received one dose or are unvaccinated in every week of the period. The weekly ASMRs for people who had received only one dose are in general lower than the ASMRs for people who were unvaccinated and higher than those for people who had received two vaccination doses.
Self-isolation rules broken by one in five of those testing positive for COVID-19
Around one in five (22%) people in England testing positive for COVID-19 say they have not followed all self-isolation requirements.
Experimental data show these people carried out at least one activity during self-isolation that was not adherent to legislation, for example, leaving the home or having visitors, for reasons not permitted.
If you test positive for COVID-19, it is a legal requirement to self-isolate at home for the following 10 days, without receiving any visitors unless it is to provide essential care.
The data collected between 27 September and 2 October 2021 show that the majority (78%) of all individuals who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) reported fully adhering to the requirements throughout their self-isolation period.
And while the level of adherence was broadly in line with June and July 2021 levels, it represents a statistically significantly lower percentage, compared with adherence levels earlier in the year (84% in April 2021 and 86% in May 2021).
Infections in England highest in secondary school-age children
Overall, coronavirus (COVID-19) infections continued to increase in England in the most recent week, with the percentage testing positive still highest in those in school years 7 to 11 (9.14%).
The percentage of people testing positive also increased in Northern Ireland, and there were early signs of an increase in Scotland. In Wales, the trend was uncertain in the most recent week.
The official estimates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are for the week ending 22 October 2021, whereas for Scotland it is for the week ending 23 October 2021. This is because of availability of test results.
The estimated percentage of people living in private households (not in hospitals, care homes and/or other communal establishments) that had COVID-19 in the most recent week was:
- 2.02% in England (1 in 50 people), compared with 1.79% (1 in 55 people) the week before
- 2.56% in Wales (1 in 40 people), compared with 2.31% (1 in 45 people) the week before
- 1.31% in Northern Ireland (1 in 75 people), compared with 0.76% (1 in 130 people) the week before
- 1.36% in Scotland (1 in 75 people), compared with 1.14% (1 in 90 people), the week before
