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Supermarkets are most common place to catch Covid, new data reveals

The data found that the most common setting for people testing positive had been the supermarket

PEOPLE are most likely to catch the coronavirus at the supermarket, official data has revealed.

Supermarkets have remained open during both national lockdowns and new data collated by Public Health England (PHE) from the NHS Test and Trace App has revealed that shops are the most frequent Covid exposure setting.

The data found that the most common setting for people testing positive had been the supermarket Credit: Getty – Contributor

The chart above shows what activities and events people who contracted the virus participated in before testing positive

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The chart above shows what activities and events people who contracted the virus participated in before testing positive Credit: PHE

PHE analysed data of people who contracted the virus between November 9 and November 15. They looked at the contacts of those who had caught the virus and retraced the steps of 128,808 people who tested positive. Supermarkets were the most common location of people who reported to have tested positive for the virus. Of those who tested positive, it was found that 18.3 per cent had visited a supermarket. At the start of the pandemic large queues were seen outside of supermarkets as people lined up to buy essentials. Shops had limited the amount of people inside as they tried to maintain social distancing measures. Shoppers in supermarkets also have to wear face masks when buying their goods – unless they are exempt under national guidelines. In September supermarket bosses urged customers to not panic buy products after shelves were left empty during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring.

Data from PHE revealed where the most common infections were reported

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Data from PHE revealed where the most common infections were reported

Both primary and secondary schools reopened in September after kids were kept off school during the first national lockdown.

The data found that secondary schools were the second place where transmission was highest, followed by primary schools. It was revealed that 12.7 per cent of people who tested positive had attended secondary school and 10.1 per cent had attended a primary school. This could be pupils attending the school, teachers or other staff who work at schools, parents at the school gates may have also been at risk of catching the virus. The government vowed to keep schools open and said the education of kids was a priority. In the last week, 124 clusters of the coronavirus have been reported in English secondary schools.

The graph above shows the difference in positive Covid cases across different educational institutions

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The graph above shows the difference in positive Covid cases across different educational institutionsCredit: PHE

Public Health England used data from NHS Track and Trace to find out the common places people had visited who had tested positive for Covid-19.

  • Supermarket – 18.3%
  • Secondary school – 12.7%
  • Primary school – 10.1%
  • Hospital – 3.6%
  • Care home – 2.8%
  • College – 2.4%
  • Warehouse – 2.2%
  • Nursery preschool – 1.8%
  • Pub or bar – 1.6%
  • Hospitality – 1.5%
  • University – 1.4%
  • Manufacture engineering – 1.4%
  • Household fewer than five – 1.2%
  • General practice – 1.1%
  • Gym – 1.1%
  • Restaurant or cafe – 1.0%

In total, there have been 822 reported clusters of the coronavirus in English secondary schools. In primary schools there has been a total of 732 clusters reported. Hull in East Yorkshire is currently one of the most infected areas in the country and it was this week reported that schools in the area are on the brink of collapse as thousands of secondary school pupils have been forced to self isolate. This week Chris Long, the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive, has said that a stiffer lockdown is needed to tackle growing cases in the area. He said schools might have to be closed in the area in order to curb transmission. Hospitals, colleges, care homes and warehouses all followed as the places where transmission was highest. Surprisingly, just 3.6 per cent of people who had tested positive had been in a hospital setting – this could include patients, doctors and nurses, visitors to the hospital or other hospital staff members. Care homes were also found to have a lower transmission rate and 2.8 per cent of people who tested positive said they had been at a care home. Unlike secondary and primary schools, just 2.4 per cent of people who said they had been at a college had tested positive for the virus. During the pandemic, warehouses have also been a place where many outbreaks have occurred due to close working conditions.

The graph above shows hospitalisation rates across the country

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The graph above shows hospitalisation rates across the countryCredit: PH.

The data found that 2.2 per cent of people who had been at a warehouse had tested positive for the coronavirus. In July there had been an outbreak at an Iceland distribution centre in Swindon and just last month 174 workers in Norfolk were struck down at a meat factory after an outbreak. The data also found that transmission was highest in households and also revealed that infections rates could be levelling off in some parts of the country.