FOI Ref: FOI/2021/3194
You asked
Please supply the following information:
1) Detailed statistics of Covid-19/Sars-Cov-2 reinfection rates. (Numbers and ages). Please provide information of UK numbers of Sars-Cov-2 reinfection rates established by PCR test at least 6 months apart or verified different variants.
2) Data regarding numbers on hospital admissions due to Covid-19 of persons re-infected by established PCR tests in the UK.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The COVID-19 Infection Survey is a household survey that estimates the number of people testing positive for infection and for antibodies in the UK. Our statistics refer to the number of current COVID-19 infections within the population living in private residential households. We exclude those in hospitals, care homes and/or other communal establishments. In communal establishments, rates of COVID-19 infection are likely to be different.
You can find counts and rates of reinfections identified in our survey on tab 5a of the accompanying dataset of our characteristics article (1 December 2021). You can find data on reinfections split by variant dominant time period (Alpha before 17 May 2021, Delta after 17 May 2021) in tab 1e of the accompanying dataset of a previous characteristics article (3 November 2021). More detailed methodological information about reinfections can be found in our reinfections technical article.
Further information on reinfections in the government testing programme is available from the UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency, previously Public Health England). Overall reinfection rates for England can be found in the Weekly national Influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report on page 20. Reinfection rates by age can be found in the Weekly Influenza and COVID-19 Surveillance graphs on page 73. For more information about this data, you can contact UKHSA via email at informationrights@ukhsa.gov.uk.
Further information and an overview of data about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from the Office for National Statistic (ONS) and other sources can be found in our Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights tool.
Unfortunately, we do not hold analysis showing COVID-19 hospitalisations in the UK. To fulfil this request, we would need to create a complex linked dataset. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Public Authorities are not obligated to create information in order to respond to requests. We therefore do not hold this information.
Your query would be better placed with UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency, previously Public Health England), who are responsible for the government testing programme and official UK data on hospital admissions. They can be contacted via email at informationrights@ukhsa.gov.uk.