• Findings covering 24 June to 12 July from Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI show fully vaccinated people were three times less likely than unvaccinated people to test positive for COVID-19
• Ministers urge caution as society opens up, with some fully vaccinated people still able to test positive
• Study shows infections have increased four-fold compared to the last report in late May, with 1 in 160 people infected, although growth appeared to be slowing

Findings from the latest report of REACT-1, one of the country’s largest studies into COVID-19 infections in England, have been published today (Wednesday 4 August) by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI.

Over 98,000 volunteers took part in the study in England between 24 June and 12 July to examine the levels of COVID-19 in the general population. The latest data show infections in England have increased fourfold from 0.15% to 0.63% since the last REACT-1 report which covered the period 20 May to 7 June.

Despite this increase, the findings indicate the spread of the virus was slowing as of 12 July and infection rates for double vaccinated people are three times lower than in unvaccinated.

Analysis by Imperial College suggests double vaccinated people are also less likely to pass on the virus to others.

The main findings from the thirteenth round of the REACT-1 study show:

• 527 positives from 98,233 swabs, giving a prevalence of 0.63% or 1 in 160 people;
• more than a four-fold rise in prevalence compared to the last full report which covered 20 May-7 June, increasing from 0.15% to 0.63;
• unvaccinated people were three times more likely than fully vaccinated people to test positive for COVID-19, with prevalence at 1.21% and 0.40%;  
• double vaccinated people in the most recent round were estimated to have around 50 to 60% reduced risk of infection, including asymptomatic infection, compared to unvaccinated people;
• those who were fully vaccinated may be less likely to pass on the virus to others than those who have not received a vaccine;
• prevalence was highest in London at 0.94%, up from 0.13% in round 12, although this growth appeared to be slowing at the end the study period;
• during Round 13, the R number was estimated at 1.19, corresponding to a doubling time of 25 days;
• of the 254 positive samples sequenced for variants, 100% were the Delta variant, compared to 78.3% in the last report at the end of May (round 12);
• a substantial increase in prevalence in all age groups under the age of 75;
• prevalence is nine-fold higher in 13-17 year-olds at 1.56% compared with 0.16% in round 12;
• 3.84% of double-vaccinated individuals who reported recent contact with a known COVID-19 case tested positive, compared to 7.23% of unvaccinated individuals; and
• when comparing the REACT infection data with official NHSE hospitalisation data, since mid-February there has been a weakening in the relationship between infections and hospitalisations and deaths. Since mid-April there are signs of the relationship between infections and hospitalisations coming back together. More time is needed to understand what this means and to identify any trends.

The vaccination programme has been successful in weakening the link between infection, hospitalisation and deaths and today’s data demonstrates the need to remain vigilant and follow government guidance, to ensure that we continue to reduce the risk.

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows our vaccines are highly effective against all variants of COVID-19. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after both doses. PHE estimates that the vaccination programme in England has prevented 22 million infections, around 52,600 hospitalisations and between 35,200 and 60,000 deaths.

PHE hospitalisation data shows that between 21 June and 19 July, 1,788 people were admitted to hospital after testing positive for the Delta variant. Of these, 970 (54.3%) were unvaccinated, while 530 (29.6%) had received both doses of the vaccine. In total, 3,692 people have been hospitalised with the delta variant, of whom 2,152 (58.3%) were unvaccinated and 843 (22.8%) were fully vaccinated. The latest PHE risk assessment for the Delta variant reflects early signs of increased risk of reinfection with Delta compared to Alpha. Further investigations are being undertaken by PHE and data will be updated on Friday.

There are around 2.8 million 18-29-year olds who are completely unvaccinated. While the risk of getting seriously ill is lower among this group, it is becoming increasingly clear that individuals who are unvaccinated and catch the virus are more likely to pass it on to others, including those who are more vulnerable, when compared to someone who is fully vaccinated.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Our vaccination rollout is building a wall of defence that means we can carefully ease restrictions and get back to the things we love, but we need to be cautious as we learn to live with this virus.

Today’s report shows the importance of taking personal responsibility by self-isolating if you are contact traced, getting tested if you have symptoms and wearing face coverings where appropriate.

I urge anyone who has yet to receive a vaccine to get jabbed and take up both doses – the vaccines are safe and they are working.

Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

Today’s results show the positive impact of the vaccination programme with those who are double jabbed three times less likely than unvaccinated people to get the virus and less likely to pass on this awful disease to those around them.

We must continue our phenomenal progress – my message to anyone who has not yet been vaccinated is please come forward, to protect yourself, your family and your community.

All those aged 18 and over can book their vaccination through the NHS booking service, and all adults have been offered their first dose.

At the end of September, by which point all those over the age of 18 will have had a chance to be fully vaccinated, the government plans to make full vaccination a condition of entry to high risk settings where large crowds gather and interact.

Professor Paul Elliott, director of the REACT programme from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said:

These findings confirm our previous data showing that both doses of a vaccine offer good protection against getting infected. However we can also see that there is still a risk of infection, as no vaccine is 100% effective, and we know that some double vaccinated people can still become ill from the virus. So even with the easing of restrictions, we should still act with caution to help protect one another and curb the rate of infections.

Kelly Beaver, Managing Director, Public Affairs at Ipsos MORI said:

Today’s results are a stark reminder of the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19, with those unvaccinated three times more likely to test positive in this round than those who are fully vaccinated. This is underscored by the indications in this report that fully vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus to others, an important development in understanding how we can beat the virus.

This report is the latest from the REACT-1 study which was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care and carried out by a world-class team of scientists, clinicians and researchers at Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Ipsos MORI.

Robust population surveillance studies like this are essential to understanding the rate of COVID-19 infection, how the virus is spreading across the country and the impact of measures taken to contain the virus in order to inform current and future actions.

Only one in six drivers remembered to check their tyres before setting off on a long journey, according to research commissioned by Highways England.

Yet one in five motorway breakdowns are caused by worn or incorrectly inflated tyres and nearly a third of drivers confessed that they’re not confident checking tyre pressure.

Dave Harford, Traffic Officer for Highways England, who patrols the M5, M42, M50 and other major routes, said:

We want everyone to get to their destinations safely and the last thing any football supporter wants is to miss the start of the match. You are more likely to experience a breakdown or a collision if your tyres are incorrectly inflated or in a poor condition. It only takes a few minutes to check your tyre pressure before you set off and it could save you time and money in the long run. So take one for the team and make sure you check your vehicle before you go.

The advice from Highways England is simple; check your tyre pressure, tread depth and tyre age including the spare, before you set off on a long journey.

Look out for cuts or wear over the full width of the tyre and don’t forget to check the sidewall.

Dave added:

Although the legal limit for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm, we recommend you don’t let them get that low. Changing the tyre at 2mm in summer and 3 mm in winter is good practice and maintains overall good tyre performance in all conditions. To check your tyre pressure, visit most fuel and service station forecourts, which have an air machine for checking and inflating your tyre pressure.

If you are stopped by the police and found with illegal tyres, you could receive a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre.

Drivers should also take a few minutes to plan their journeys in advance, checking that no roadworks are planned on the route. Live updates on traffic flow can be found at the Traffic England website.

Highways England says simple checks are a way to make sure the vehicle is roadworthy. Things to consider are:

• Tyres: Ensure tyre pressures are suitable for the load and check the condition of tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear across the whole tyre including sidewall.
• Engine oil: Check oil levels regularly and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual
• Water: Always keep your screen wash topped up with a good ratio of water and screen wash to maximise the cleaning efficiency so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen easily.
• Lights: If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself and your family at risk. In addition, your vehicle may fail its MoT
• Fuel: Before setting out make sure you have enough fuel to get to your destination. Running out of fuel can put you, your family and other road users at risk unnecessarily. I f you experience problems with your vehicle and you can’t leave the motorway you should always try to go left – to an emergency area, a hard shoulder, motorway services or slip road hard shoulder.

But if that is not possible and you have stopped in a live lane or feel your life is in danger you must stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately.

Get more information related to checking your tyres.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Adam Hughes (43) received a 13-year disqualification order in the High Court before Judge Barber on 20 July 2021. His business partner, Andrew Wood (49), had signed a 12-year disqualification undertaking a year earlier on 2 September 2020.

The court heard that Adam Hughes and Andrew Wood were directors of Concorde Tyre & Exhaust Centres Ltd. The company was incorporated in 2011 and sold motor parts, as well as providing repair services.

Between 2011 and 2017, Concorde Tyre & Exhaust Centres expanded rapidly, operating 9 sites across Central and Eastern England, covering, Coventry, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Leicester, Peterborough, Wisbech, Cambridge and Norwich.

But this growth led to cash flow problems and Administrators were appointed to undertake a pre-packaged sale of the business.

Following their appointment, however, the Administrators discovered a third party had petitioned the court to wind-up Concorde Tyre & Exhaust Centres. The Administrators also had difficulties establishing who owned the company’s assets and who had secured loans against them.

The directors’ conduct was referred to the Insolvency Service where investigators uncovered that Adam Hughes provided false documents, including invoices, emails and bank statements, to secure more than £176,000 from an asset finance company.

Further enquiries also established that on at least three separate occasions, Adam Hughes supplied false documents to secure finance against assets Concorde did not own.

Andrew Wood knew that Concorde Tyre & Exhaust Centres did not own the assets but allowed his business partner to secure finance under false pretences.

The court heard that Andrew Wood voluntary signed his 12-year disqualification a year earlier, while Adam Hughes did not engage with the Insolvency Service and this was noted by Judge Barber, who described Adam Hughes as having a ‘flippant attitude’ towards proceedings.

Andrew Wood’s ban was effective from 23 September 2020, while Adam Hughes’ 13-year Disqualification Order is effective from 10 August 2021.

The pair cannot, directly or indirectly, become involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

Mark Bruce, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

Directors securing funds against the assets their company legitimately owns is a perfectly acceptable practice. Adam Hughes, however, failed to act honestly while securing more than £176,000 and Andy Wood failed in his diligence.

25 years’ worth of bans is a substantial amount of time to be removed from the corporate arena and their disqualifications should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to defraud creditors by falsifying documents.

Adam Hughes is of Peterborough and his date of birth is July 1978

Andrew Wood is of Peterborough and his date of birth is August 1972

Company Concorde Tyre & Exhaust Centres Ltd (Company Reg no. 07554616).

The order was pronounced by Judge Barber in the High Court. Selborne Chambers appeared for the Insolvency Service (i.e. counsel/chambers, if appropriate) and no one appeared for or on behalf of the defendant.

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of restrictions.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on: