COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

{{for-text|the COVID-19 pandemic in the countries within the UK|COVID-19 pandemic in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales}}

{{Infobox pandemic

| name = {{Nowrap|COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

| image =

| map1 = Coronavirus Covid-19 Morrisons empty shelves 1.jpg

| map2 = COVID-19 Vaccination Centre (general Practice) December 2020.jpg

| map3 = Boris Johnson Covid-19 Presser (50516975857).jpg

| map4 = Boris Johnson 'Clap for our Carers' 14 05 (49895537807).jpg

| disease = COVID-19

| virus_strain = SARS-CoV-2

| location = United Kingdom

| first_case = York, North Yorkshire

| origin = Wuhan, Hubei, China

| arrival_date = 31 January 2020{{pb}}({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=01|day1=31|year1=2020|month2=|day2=|year2=}} ago){{Cite journal|last1=Lillie|first1=Patrick J.|last2=Samson|first2=Anda|last3=Li|first3=Ang|last4=Adams|first4=Kate|last5=Capstick|first5=Richard|last6=Barlow|first6=Gavin D.|last7=Easom|first7=Nicholas|last8=Hamilton|first8=Eve|last9=Moss|first9=Peter J.|last10=Evans|first10=Adam|last11=Ivan|first11=Monica|date=28 February 2020|title=Novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19): The first two patients in the UK with person to person transmission|url=https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(20)30102-X/pdf|journal=Journal of Infection|volume=80|issue=5|pages=600–601|doi=10.1016/j.jinf.2020.02.020|issn=0163-4453|pmc=7127394|pmid=32119884|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=18 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318020532/https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(20)30102-X/pdf|url-status=live}}

| recovery_cases =

| date = {{as of|2022|January|06}}

| confirmed_cases = {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|cases}} (total)Since April 2022, free mass testing was ended in the UK, which may affect official case counts.

| hospitalised_cases = {{Unbulleted list

| 17,276 (active)

| 633,613 (total)

}}

| ventilator_cases = 911 (active)

| deaths = {{Unbulleted list

| {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|deaths}} (PHE/DHSC) Deaths within 28 days of a positive test by date reported.

Does not include the death of one British citizen on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship (see COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships), or the 84 recorded deaths in the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.{{cite web |url=https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ |title=Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK |website=GOV.UK |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=15 April 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200414184317/https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ |url-status=live }}

| 170,911 (ONS)Deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate by date of death.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales |title=Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional |last=Office for National Statistics |date=8 April 2021 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=8 April 2021 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120073646/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales |url-status=live }}

}}

| vaccinations = {{ublist

| {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|total_vaccinated}} (total first dose)

| {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|fully_vaccinated}} (total second dose)

| 37,650,239 (total third dose)

| {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|vaccine_doses}} (doses administered)

}}

| fatality_rate = {{Percentage|127543|4423796|2}} {{ulist

| Alpha variant 1.9%

| Delta variant 0.2%{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001358/Variants_of_Concern_VOC_Technical_Briefing_18.pdf |title=SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England Technical Briefing 18 |date=9 July 2021 |work=Public Health England |page=11 |access-date=19 July 2021 |quote=Case fatality is not comparable across variants as they have peaked at different points in the pandemic, and so vary in background hospital pressure, vaccination availability and rates and case profiles, treatment options, and impact of reporting delay, among other factors |archive-date=23 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723004225/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001358/Variants_of_Concern_VOC_Technical_Briefing_18.pdf |url-status=live }}{{OGL-attribution|version=3.0}}

}}

| website = [https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus UK Government]Daily updates occur around 4 pm UTC.
[https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/ Scottish Government]
[https://gov.wales/coronavirus Welsh Government]
[https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19 Northern Ireland Department of Health]

}}

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|cases}} confirmed cases, and is associated with {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|deaths}} deaths up to 26 January 2025.

The virus began circulating in the country in early 2020, arriving primarily from travel elsewhere in Europe. Various sectors responded, with more widespread public health measures incrementally introduced from March 2020. The first wave was at the time one of the world's largest outbreaks. By mid-April the peak had been passed and restrictions were gradually eased. A second wave, with a new variant that originated in the UK becoming dominant, began in the autumn and peaked in mid-January 2021, and was deadlier than the first. The UK started a COVID-19 vaccination programme in early December 2020. Generalised restrictions were gradually lifted and were mostly ended by August 2021. A third wave, fuelled by the new Delta variant, began in July 2021, but the rate of deaths and hospitalisations was lower than with the first two waves – this being attributed to the mass vaccination programme. By early December 2021, the Omicron variant had arrived, and caused record infection levels.

The UK government and each of the three devolved governments (in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) introduced public health and economic measures, including new laws, to mitigate its impact. A national lockdown was introduced on 23 March 2020 and lifted in May, replaced with specific regional restrictions. Further nationwide restrictions were introduced later in 2020 in response to a surge in cases. Most restrictions were lifted during the Delta-variant-driven third wave in mid-2021. The "winter plan" reintroduced some rules in response to the Omicron variant in December 2021, and all restrictions were lifted in February and March 2022 as the Omicron wave continued.

Economic support was given to struggling businesses, including a furlough scheme for employees. As well as the major strain on the UK's healthcare service, the pandemic has had a severe impact on the UK's economy, caused major disruptions to education and had far-reaching impacts on society and politics.

History

= Origin =

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.{{cite web|last=Elsevier|title=Novel Coronavirus Information Center|url=https://www.elsevier.com/connect/coronavirus-information-center|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130171622/https://www.elsevier.com/connect/coronavirus-information-center|archive-date=30 January 2020|access-date=15 March 2020|website=Elsevier Connect}}{{Cite news|last=Reynolds|first=Matt|date=4 March 2020|title=What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?|magazine=Wired UK|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-coronavirus|url-status=live|access-date=5 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305104806/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-coronavirus|archive-date=5 March 2020|issn=1357-0978}} The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,{{cite web|title=Crunching the numbers for coronavirus|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196137/crunching-numbers-coronavirus/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319084913/https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196137/crunching-numbers-coronavirus/|archive-date=19 March 2020|access-date=15 March 2020|website=Imperial News|date=13 March 2020 }}{{cite web|title=High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England|url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303051938/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid|archive-date=3 March 2020|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}} but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.{{cite web|title=World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus|url=https://www.wfsahq.org/resources/coronavirus|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312233527/https://www.wfsahq.org/resources/coronavirus|archive-date=12 March 2020|access-date=15 March 2020|website=wfsahq.org}}

Scientists used statistical analysis of data from genetic sequencing, combined with epidemiological and estimated travel data, to estimate the source locations of the virus in the UK up to the beginning of March 2020, and following the initial importations which were likely from China or elsewhere in Asia. From this analysis they estimated that about 33% were from Spain, 29% from France, 12% from Italy and 26% from elsewhere.

= First wave =

Though later reporting indicated that there may have been some cases dating from late 2019,{{Cite web|date=17 November 2020|title=Covid started a year ago – but did this bricklayer bring it to UK sooner?|url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/17/bricklayer-66-claims-to-be-britains-covid-patient-zero-13609231/|access-date=8 December 2020|website=Metro|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320093447/https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/17/bricklayer-66-claims-to-be-britains-covid-patient-zero-13609231/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=10 May 2020|title=Coronavirus doctor's diary: the strange case of the choir that coughed in January|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52589449|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307225128/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52589449|url-status=live}} COVID-19 was confirmed to be present in the UK by the end of January 2020{{Cite news|last1=Ball|first1=Tom|last2=Wace|first2=Charlotte|date=31 January 2020|title=Hunt for contacts of coronavirus-stricken pair in York|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/hunt-for-contacts-of-coronavirus-stricken-pair-in-york-dh363qf8k|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=6 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204105559/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hunt-for-contacts-of-coronavirus-stricken-pair-in-york-dh363qf8k|archive-date=4 February 2020|issn=0140-0460}} with the first confirmed deaths in March 2020.{{Cite news|date=7 March 2020|title=Coronavirus: Man in 80s is second person to die of virus in UK|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51771815|access-date=15 October 2021|archive-date=1 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401185717/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51771815|url-status=live}} Subsequent epidemiological analysis showed that over 1000 lineages of SARS-CoV-2 entered the UK in early 2020 from international travellers, mostly from outbreaks elsewhere in Europe, leading to numerous clusters that overwhelmed contact tracing efforts.{{Cite journal|last1=du Plessis|first1=Louis|last2=McCrone|first2=John T.|last3=Zarebski|first3=Alexander E.|last4=Hill|first4=Verity|last5=Ruis|first5=Christopher|last6=Gutierrez|first6=Bernardo|last7=Raghwani|first7=Jayna|last8=Ashworth|first8=Jordan|last9=Colquhoun|first9=Rachel|last10=Connor|first10=Thomas R.|last11=Faria|first11=Nuno R.|date=12 February 2021|title=Establishment and lineage dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the UK|journal=Science|volume=371|issue=6530|pages=708–712|bibcode=2021Sci...371..708D|doi=10.1126/science.abf2946 | issn=0036-8075|pmc=7877493|pmid=33419936}} Limited testing and surveillance meant during the early weeks of the pandemic, case numbers were underestimated, obscuring the extent of the outbreak.{{Cite journal|last1=Pollock|first1=Allyson M.|last2=Roderick|first2=Peter|last3=Cheng|first3=K. K.|last4=Pankhania|first4=Bharat|date=30 March 2020|title=Covid-19: why is the UK government ignoring WHO's advice?|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1284|journal=BMJ|language=en|volume=368|pages=m1284|doi=10.1136/bmj.m1284|issn=1756-1833|pmid=32229543|s2cid=214702525|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite news|title=Into the fog: How Britain lost track of the coronavirus|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-britain-tracing/|access-date=11 January 2022}}

A legally-enforced Stay at Home Order, or lockdown, was introduced on 23 March,{{cite web|date=23 March 2020|title=Boris Johnson orders three-week lockdown of UK to tackle coronavirus spread|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2020-03-23/boris-johnson-downing-street-coronavirus-update/|access-date=23 March 2020|website=ITV News|archive-date=31 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331180817/https://www.itv.com/news/2020-03-23/boris-johnson-downing-street-coronavirus-update/|url-status=live}} banning all non-essential travel and contact with other people, and shut schools, businesses, venues and gathering places. People were told to keep apart in public. Those with symptoms, and their households, were told to self-isolate, while those considered at highest risk were told to shield. The health services worked to raise hospital capacity and established temporary critical care hospitals, but initially faced some shortages of personal protective equipment. By mid-April it was reported that restrictions had "flattened the curve" of the epidemic and the UK had passed its peak{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-curve/uks-social-distancing-has-flattened-covid-19-curve-science-official-idUSKCN21X2MT |title=UK's social distancing has flattened COVID-19 curve: science official |work=Reuters |date=15 April 2020}} after 26,000 deaths.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52478085|title=UK coronavirus deaths pass 26,000|date=29 April 2020|work=BBC News|access-date=29 April 2020}} The UK's overall death toll and by population surpassed that of Italy on 3 May, making the UK the worst affected country in Europe at the time.{{Cite journal|last=Mahase|first=Elisabeth|date=6 May 2020|title=Covid-19: UK death toll overtakes Italy's to become worst in Europe|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1850|journal=BMJ|language=en|volume=369|pages=m1850|doi=10.1136/bmj.m1850|issn=1756-1833|pmid=32376760|s2cid=218533792|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}} Restrictions were steadily eased across the UK in late spring and early summer that year.{{Cite web|title=PM address to the nation on coronavirus: 10 May 2020|date=10 May 2020 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-address-to-the-nation-on-coronavirus-10-may-2020|access-date=10 May 2020|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|archive-date=13 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913043119/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-address-to-the-nation-on-coronavirus-10-may-2020|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=28 May 2020|title=Coronavirus: Scottish lockdown easing to begin on Friday|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52819189|access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=8 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608223831/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52819189|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=8 June 2020|title=Non-essentials shops in NI can reopen from Friday|url=https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2020-06-08/non-essentials-shops-in-ni-can-reopen-from-friday|access-date=19 July 2020|website=ITV News|archive-date=19 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719143317/https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2020-06-08/non-essentials-shops-in-ni-can-reopen-from-friday|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=15 June 2020|title=As it happened: Thousands flock to reopened shops in England|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-53046160|access-date=14 July 2020|work=BBC News|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705135207/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-53046160|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=22 June 2020|title=Shops reopen with strict social distancing measures|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53116542|access-date=19 July 2020|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720110429/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53116542|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=29 June 2020|title=Queues form as doors open for retail return|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-53210774|access-date=19 July 2020|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712232843/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-53210774|url-status=live}} The UK's epidemic in early 2020 was at the time one of the largest worldwide.

= Second wave =

File:Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine.jpg. The UK was the first country to approve the Pfizer vaccine.{{Cite web |title=2021.0009 {{!}} Collections Online |url=https://collections.thackraymuseum.co.uk/object-2021-0009 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=collections.thackraymuseum.co.uk}}]]

By the autumn, COVID-19 cases were again rising.{{Cite news|title=Covid updates: UK records highest daily Covid deaths since 1 July|work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-54336494|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001161440/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-54336494|url-status=live}} This led to the introduction of social distancing measures and some localised restrictions.{{Cite news|date=12 September 2020|title=Children will stay part of rule of six, says Gove|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54129158|access-date=13 September 2020|archive-date=13 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913004404/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54129158|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=18 September 2020|title=Covid: New restrictions in North West, Midlands, and West Yorkshire|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54194804|access-date=19 September 2020|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918213508/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54194804|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=22 September 2020|title=Pubs in England to close at 10pm amid Covid spread|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54242634|access-date=25 September 2020|archive-date=23 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923072722/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54242634|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=22 September 2020|title=Pubs in Wales to close at 22:00 from Thursday|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-54251114|access-date=25 September 2020|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924065531/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-54251114|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=23 September 2020|title=Alcohol-only pubs reopen in Northern Ireland|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54253146|access-date=25 September 2020|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925144713/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54253146|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54159291 |title=Covid: Ban on meeting in houses extended across Scotland |date=22 September 2020 |access-date=10 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923184855/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54159291 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |url-status=live}} Larger lockdowns took place in all of Wales, England and Northern Ireland later that season.{{cite news|date=14 October 2020|title=Schools to close and tight new hospitality rules in Northern Ireland|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54533643|access-date=14 October 2020|archive-date=13 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013234206/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54533643|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=19 October 2020|title=Covid: Wales to go into 'firebreak' lockdown from Friday|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54598136|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020011329/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54598136|url-status=live}}[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54763956 Covid-19: PM announces four-week England lockdown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031162204/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54763956 |date=31 October 2020 }} 1 November 2020 BBC. Retrieved 5 November 2020 In both England and Scotland, tiered restrictions were introduced in October,{{Cite news|date=29 October 2020|title=Covid-19: Nicola Sturgeon unveils Scotland's restriction levels|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54731245|access-date=8 December 2020}} and England went into a month-long lockdown during November followed by new tiered restrictions in December.{{Cite news|date=17 November 2020|title=England's Covid tier system explained... with cake|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-54511965|access-date=8 December 2020}} Multi-week 'circuit-breaker' lockdowns were imposed in Wales{{Cite news|last=Morris|first=Steven|date=19 October 2020|title=What are the rules of Wales's circuit breaker coronavirus lockdown?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/19/rules-wales-circuit-breaker-coronavirus-lockdown|access-date=8 December 2020|issn=0261-3077}} and Northern Ireland.{{Cite web|date=27 November 2020|title=NI enters two-week circuit breaker lockdown|url=https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2020-11-27/ni-enters-two-week-circuit-breaker-lockdown|access-date=8 December 2020|website=ITV News}} A new variant of the virus is thought to have originated in Kent around September 2020.{{cite news|date=16 December 2020|title=Covid-19: New coronavirus variant is identified in UK|journal=BMJ|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4857|access-date=19 December 2020|doi=10.1136/bmj.m4857|doi-access=free|archive-date=20 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220154828/https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4857|url-status=live| last1=Wise | first1=Jacqui | pages=m4857 }}{{Cite web|author=New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group|date=18 December 2020|title=NERVTAG meeting on SARS-CoV-2 variant under investigation: VUI-202012/01|url=https://khub.net/documents/135939561/338928724/SARS-CoV-2+variant+under+investigation%2C+meeting+minutes.pdf/962e866b-161f-2fd5-1030-32b6ab467896?t=1608470511452|access-date=21 December 2020|archive-date=20 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220220337/https://khub.net/documents/135939561/338928724/SARS-CoV-2+variant+under+investigation,+meeting+minutes.pdf/962e866b-161f-2fd5-1030-32b6ab467896?t=1608470511452|url-status=live}} Once restrictions were lifted, the novel variant rapidly spread across the UK.{{Cite journal|last1=Kraemer|first1=Moritz U. G.|last2=Hill|first2=Verity|last3=Ruis|first3=Christopher|last4=Dellicour|first4=Simon|last5=Bajaj|first5=Sumali|last6=McCrone|first6=John T.|last7=Baele|first7=Guy|last8=Parag|first8=Kris V.|last9=Battle|first9=Anya Lindström|last10=Gutierrez|first10=Bernardo|last11=Jackson|first11=Ben|date=20 August 2021|title=Spatiotemporal invasion dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 emergence|journal=Science|volume=373|issue=6557|pages=889–895|bibcode=2021Sci...373..889K|doi=10.1126/science.abj0113|pmid=34301854|s2cid=236209853|pmc=9269003}} Its increased transmissibility contributed to a continued increase in daily infections that surpassed previous records.{{Cite news|date=31 December 2020|title=Covid-19: UK reports a record 55,892 daily cases|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55502595|access-date=1 January 2021|archive-date=31 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231221341/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55502595|url-status=live}} The healthcare system had come under severe strain by late December."[https://www.theweek.co.uk/coronavirus/951524/coronavirus-hospitals-forced-to-divert-patients-as-fears-of-uk-third-wave-grow Overwhelmed NHS hospitals diverting patients experts warn of third wave]". The Week UK. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{Line break}}"[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55505722 Covid: 'Nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS, hospitals in England warn]". BBC News. 1 January 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210101111145/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55505722 Archived] from the original on 1 January 2021 Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{Line break}}Campbell, Denis (27 December 2020). "[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/27/hospitals-in-england-told-to-free-up-all-possible-beds-for-surging-covid-cases Hospitals in England told to free up all possible beds for surging Covid cases]". The Guardian. ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/697762507 0261-3077]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211019044257/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/27/hospitals-in-england-told-to-free-up-all-possible-beds-for-surging-covid-cases Archived] from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{Line break}}"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55362681 Pressure on hospitals 'at a really dangerous point']". BBC News. 18 December 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20201218155311/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55362681 Archived] from the original on 18 December 2020 Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{Line break}}"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55479018 Covid rule-breakers 'have blood on their hands]'". BBC News. 31 December 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20201231231628/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55479018 Archived] from the original on 31 December 2020 Retrieved 1 January 2021. Following a partial easing of restrictions for Christmas,{{Cite news|date=20 December 2020|title=Covid-19: Christmas rules tightened for England, Scotland and Wales|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55379220|access-date=4 January 2022}} all of the UK went into a third lockdown."[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55349545 Coronavirus: NI facing six-week lockdown from 26 December]". BBC News. 17 December 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20201217182606/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55349545 Archived] from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.{{Line break}}

"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55379237 Covid: Wales locks down as Christmas plans cut]". BBC News. 19 December 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20201231120332/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55379237 Archived] from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.{{Line break}}

"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55538937 Covid: New lockdown for England amid 'hardest weeks]'". BBC News. 4 January 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210105050356/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55538937 Archived] from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.{{Line break}}

"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55531069 Covid in Scotland: Scots ordered to stay at home in new lockdown]". BBC News. 4 January 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210104205630/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55531069 Archived] from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021. The second wave peaked in mid-January with over 1,000 daily deaths, before declining into the summer.{{Cite web|title=COVID-19: Deaths in England and Wales down 99% from second wave peak|url=https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-deaths-in-england-and-wales-down-99-from-second-wave-peak-12309872|access-date=18 December 2021|website=Sky News}}

The first COVID-19 vaccine was approved and began being deployed across the UK in early December,{{Cite news|date=3 December 2020|title=Covid: First batch of vaccines arrives in the UK|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55181665|access-date=3 December 2020|archive-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203212230/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55181665|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=8 December 2020|title=Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer jab in UK|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55227325|url-status=live|access-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208070149/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55227325|archive-date=8 December 2020}} with a staggered rollout prioritising the most vulnerable and then moving to progressively younger age groups.{{cite news|date=14 February 2021|title=Covid: Vaccine given to 15 million in UK as PM hails 'extraordinary feat'|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56062976|access-date=14 February 2021|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214142953/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56062976|url-status=live}} The UK was the first country to do so, and in early 2021 its vaccination program was one of the fastest in the world. By August 2021, more than 75% of adults in the UK were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.{{Cite news|date=10 August 2021|title=Covid-19: More than 75% of UK adults now double-jabbed|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58162318|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817071217/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58162318|url-status=live}} Quarantine rules for all incoming travellers were introduced for the first time in late January.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55733357 "Coronavirus: Priti Patel says UK should have closed borders in March 2020"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306190552/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55733357 |date=6 March 2021 }}. BBC News, 20 January 2021. Restrictions began to ease from late February onwards and almost all had ended in Great Britain by August.{{Cite news|date=23 February 2021|title=What's the roadmap for lifting lockdown? |work= BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223083856/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518|archive-date=23 February 2021|access-date=11 October 2021}}{{Cite news|date=19 July 2021|title=19 July: England Covid restrictions ease as PM urges caution|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57882029|access-date=11 October 2021|archive-date=11 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011120313/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57882029|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=7 August 2021|title=Covid: Pubs busy as most rules end in Wales|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58086808|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813064430/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58086808|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=9 August 2021|title=Covid in Scotland: 'Right moment' to lift restrictions, says Sturgeon|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58136277|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810180640/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58136277|url-status=live}}

= Third wave =

A third wave of daily infections began in July 2021 due to the arrival and rapid spread of the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.{{Cite journal|last=Callaway|first=Ewen|date=22 June 2021|title=Delta coronavirus variant: scientists brace for impact|journal=Nature|volume=595|issue=7865|pages=17–18|bibcode=2021Natur.595...17C|doi=10.1038/d41586-021-01696-3|pmid=34158664|s2cid=235609029|doi-access=free}} However, mass vaccination continued to keep deaths and hospitalisations at much lower levels than in previous waves.{{Cite web|title=Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights - Office for National Statistics|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/Overview|access-date=8 January 2022|website=www.ons.gov.uk}}{{Cite news|date=2 July 2021|title='We are a petri dish': world watches UK's race between vaccine and virus|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/we-are-a-petri-dish-world-watches-uks-race-between-vaccine-and-virus|url-status=live|access-date=15 October 2021|work=The Guardian|archive-date=8 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708112112/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/we-are-a-petri-dish-world-watches-uks-race-between-vaccine-and-virus}} Infection rates remained high and hospitalisations and deaths rose into the autumn.{{Cite web|date=15 October 2021|title=Why Britons are tolerating sky-high Covid rates – and why this may not last|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/why-britons-are-tolerating-sky-high-covid-rates-and-why-this-may-not-last|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020012252/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/why-britons-are-tolerating-sky-high-covid-rates-and-why-this-may-not-last|archive-date=20 October 2021|access-date=20 October 2021|website=The Guardian}}{{Cite news|date=19 October 2021|title=UK records highest Covid deaths since March|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/19/uk-records-highest-covid-deaths-since-march|access-date=20 October 2021|work=The Guardian|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020001948/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/19/uk-records-highest-covid-deaths-since-march|url-status=live}} In December, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was confirmed to have arrived and begun spreading widely in the community, particularly in London,{{Cite journal|last=Iacobucci|first=Gareth|date=21 December 2021|title=Covid-19: Government ignores scientists' advice to tighten restrictions to combat omicron|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n3131|journal=BMJ|volume=375|pages=n3131|doi=10.1136/bmj.n3131|issn=1756-1833|pmid=34933906|s2cid=245355478|doi-access=free}}{{Cite news|date=6 December 2021|title=Covid: Omicron spreading in the community, Javid confirms|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59553460|access-date=8 December 2021}} driving a further increase in cases{{Cite news|date=10 December 2021|title=Covid: Two jabs 'not enough to stop Omicron infection' and highest UK cases since January|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59613557|access-date=10 December 2021}} that surpassed previous records, although the true number of infections was thought to be higher.{{Cite news|date=15 December 2021|title=Covid: UK reports highest daily cases since the pandemic began|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59673150|access-date=15 December 2021}}{{Cite news|date=15 December 2021|title=Covid-19: A record day for cases - what does it tell us?|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59676569|access-date=16 December 2021}} It became mandatory for people to show proof of full vaccination or proof that they are not infected to enter certain indoor hospitality and entertainment venues.{{cite news |date=8 December 2021 |title=Covid passports: Where will I need a vaccine pass and how do I get one? |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |agency=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-55718553 |access-date=8 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210191323/https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-55718553 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |url-status=dead}} On 9 January 2022, the UK became the seventh country worldwide to pass 150,000 reported COVID-19 deaths.{{Cite web|date=8 January 2022|title=UK first country in Europe to pass 150,000 Covid deaths, figures show|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/08/uk-first-country-in-europe-to-pass-150000-covid-deaths-figures-show|access-date=9 January 2022|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

All remaining legally enforced COVID-19 related restrictions concluded in Northern Ireland and England during February 2022,{{Cite journal |last=Limb |first=Matthew |date=28 February 2022 |title=Covid-19: Is the government dismantling pandemic systems too hastily? |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o515 |journal=BMJ |language=en |volume=376 |pages=o515 |doi=10.1136/bmj.o515 |issn=1756-1833 |pmid=35228255|s2cid=247146564 |doi-access=free }}{{Cite news |date=15 February 2022 |title=Covid-19: Remaining restrictions in NI are lifted |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60381377 |access-date=16 February 2022}}{{Cite news |date=21 February 2022 |title=Covid: England ending isolation laws and mass free testing |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60467183 |access-date=21 February 2022}} with that step being taken in Scotland (partially extended into April){{Cite news |date=15 March 2022 |title=Covid in Scotland: Mask rules will stay in force until April |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-60750364 |access-date=16 March 2022}} and Wales by the end of March.{{Cite news |date=22 February 2022 |title=Covid in Scotland: All legal restrictions to end on 21 March |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-60482303 |access-date=22 February 2022}}{{Cite news |date=4 March 2022 |title=Covid in Wales: Mass testing pandemic rules to be axed |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60602012 |access-date=4 March 2022}} Cases rose following the relaxation of restrictions{{Cite news |author= |date=11 March 2022 |title=Covid infections rising again across UK - ONS |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60709712}}{{Cite web |title=New COVID Infections Up By 46% Across the UK |last=Russell |first=Peter |website=Medscape |date=10 March 2022 |url= https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/970069 |quote=for the UK over the last 7 days, the number of new infections was up 46.4%, deaths were up 19.5%, and patients admitted to hospital was up 12.2% ... 1 in 30 People Infected ... Zoe R is 1.1}} but began to fall shortly after.{{cite report |date=4 January 2023 |title=Weekly Influenza and COVID-19 Surveillance Graphs |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63b6b7418fa8f5273044372c/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs__w1_report.pdf |publisher=UK Health Security Agency |page=5 |access-date=13 May 2025}}

The UK Health Security Agency publishes a weekly "national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report", which summarises COVID-19 levels and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.{{Cite web |title=National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-published |access-date=28 September 2022 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

Responses

= Government =

= Other sectors =

{{Excerpt|United Kingdom responses to the COVID-19 pandemic|paragraphs=3}}

Impacts

There has been some disparity between the outbreak's severity in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – health-care in the UK is devolved, each constituent country having its own publicly-funded healthcare system run by devolved governments.{{cite news|date=2 January 2008|title=NHS now four different systems|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7149423.stm|url-status=live|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403211931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7149423.stm|archive-date=3 April 2009}}{{cite news|date=28 August 2008|title='Huge contrasts' in devolved NHS|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7586147.stm|url-status=live|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216225814/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7586147.stm|archive-date=16 February 2009}}{{cite journal|last=Greer|first=Scott L.|date=10 June 2016|title=Devolution and health in the UK: policy and its lessons since 1998|url=https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/118/1/16/1744498|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426054747/https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/118/1/16/1744498|archive-date=26 April 2020|access-date=13 October 2020|journal=British Medical Bulletin|volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=16–24 |doi=10.1093/bmb/ldw013 |pmid=27151953 |pmc=5127421 |quote=Since devolution in 1998, the UK has had four increasingly distinct health systems, in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.}}

= Health and life expectancy =

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the largest fall in life expectancy in England since records began in 1981.{{Cite journal|last=Iacobucci|first=Gareth|date=27 September 2021|title=Covid-19: England sees biggest fall in life expectancy since records began in wake of pandemic|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2291|journal=BMJ|volume=374|pages=n2291|doi=10.1136/bmj.n2291|issn=1756-1833|pmid=34580075|s2cid=237637504|access-date=20 October 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020183112/https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2291|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}{{Cite news|date=23 September 2021|title=Covid-19: Life expectancy is down but what does this mean?|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58659717|access-date=20 October 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020183116/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58659717|url-status=live}} On average, British COVID-19 victims lost around a decade of life; the last time deaths rose so sharply in the UK was during World War II.{{Cite web|date=26 March 2021|title=Covid-19: Behind the death toll|url=https://fullfact.org/health/covid19-behind-the-death-toll/|access-date=20 October 2021|website=Full Fact|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020183113/https://fullfact.org/health/covid19-behind-the-death-toll/|url-status=live}} In 2020, the disease was the leading cause of death among men, and second leading cause among women.

Research in 2021 suggests over 1 million people in the UK have had long COVID, with the majority reporting substantial impacts on day-to-day life.{{Cite web|title=Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK - Office for National Statistics|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/7october2021|access-date=20 October 2021|website=www.ons.gov.uk|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019125242/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/7october2021|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=24 June 2021|title=Long Covid: More than two million in England may have suffered, study suggests|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57584295|access-date=20 October 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020183111/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57584295|url-status=live}} Professor Danny Altmann of Imperial College London said in March 2022, "It's kind of an anathema to me that we've kind of thrown in the towel on control of Omicron wave infections and have said 'it's endemic, and we don't care any more, because it's very benign'," he said. "It just isn't. And there are new people joining the long Covid support groups all the time with their disabilities. It's really not OK, and it's heartbreaking."[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/23/long-covid-could-create-a-generation-affected-by-disability-expert-warns Long Covid could create a generation affected by disability, expert warns] The Guardian. 23 March 2022 The Office for National Statistics estimated that the number of people in the UK with continuing COVID symptoms like fatigue, muscle pain and breathing problems had doubled in a year from one million in May 2021 to two million in May 2022. The Guardian reported in June 2022 that treatment facilities for patients with long COVID were inadequate.[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/07/care-for-2m-britons-with-long-covid-woefully-inadequate-say-top-nurses Care for 2m Britons with long Covid ‘woefully inadequate’, say top nurses] The Guardian{{needs update|date=August 2024}}

The pandemic's major impact on the country's healthcare system, leading to long waiting lists for medical procedures and ambulances, also led to an indirect increase in deaths from other conditions.{{Cite web|title=Unexplained surge in non-Covid deaths triggers calls for probe|url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/954825/extra-non-covid-deaths-increase|access-date=9 December 2021|website=The Week UK|date=17 November 2021 }} It also had a major mental health impact.{{Cite web|last=Scott|first=Ellen|date=23 March 2021|title=The mental health impact of Covid will be felt long after lockdown lifts|url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/23/covid-uk-the-long-term-mental-health-impact-of-one-year-in-lockdown-14277335/|access-date=20 October 2021|website=Metro|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020183819/https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/23/covid-uk-the-long-term-mental-health-impact-of-one-year-in-lockdown-14277335/|url-status=live}}

In August 2021, a report from Age UK found that 27% of people over 60 could not walk as far and 25% were living in more physical pain earlier this year compared to the start of the pandemic. 54% of older people felt less confident attending a hospital appointment, and 37% of older people felt less confident going to a GP surgery.{{cite news |title='Big implications' for social care as study reveals impact of pandemic on older people's mobility |url=https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/big-implications-for-social-care-as-study-reveals-impact-of-pandemic-on-older-peoples-mobility/ |access-date=14 September 2021 |publisher=Home Care Insight |date=3 August 2021 |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811104553/https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/big-implications-for-social-care-as-study-reveals-impact-of-pandemic-on-older-peoples-mobility/ |url-status=live }}

= Education =

{{Main|Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the United Kingdom}}

Research by The Sunday Times reported that in 2021, the proportion of private school pupils receiving A*, a mark for exceptional achievement, was 39.5 per cent, rising from 16.1 per cent in 2019.{{cite news |last1=Rodrigues |first1=Nick |last2=Griffiths |first2=Sian |last3=McCall |first3=Alastair |title=Private schools 'gamed' Covid rules to give their pupils more top A-levels |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/private-schools-gamed-covid-rules-to-give-their-pupils-more-top-a-levels-6z0z6w9r5 |work=The Times |date=5 February 2022 |language=en}} The highest record in terms of increase came from the North London Collegiate School, where senior fees could surpass £21,000 a year and the proportion of A* grades rose from 33.8 per cent in 2019 to 90.2 per cent in the summer of 2021. At 25 schools, the number of A* grades trebled or even quadrupled. These and other findings led MPs to call for an inquiry into the "manipulation" of the exam system during the COVID-19 crisis.

= Economy =

{{See also|Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

The pandemic was widely disruptive to the economy of the United Kingdom, with most sectors and workforces adversely affected. Some temporary shutdowns became permanent; some people who were furloughed were later made redundant.{{Cite web|title=Coronavirus and the impact on output in the UK economy – Office for National Statistics|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonoutputintheukeconomy/april2020|access-date=2 August 2020|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802031859/https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonoutputintheukeconomy/april2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Walker|first=Andrew|date=10 June 2020|title=UK economy virus hit among worst of leading nations|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52991913|access-date=2 August 2020|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818031423/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52991913|url-status=live}} The economic disruption has had a significant impact on people's mental health—with particular damage to the mental health of foreign-born men whose work hours have been reduced/eliminated.{{cite journal | last1 = Shen | first1 = Jing | last2 = Bartram | first2 = David | year = 2020 | title = Fare Differently, Feel Differently: Mental Well-Being of UK-Born and Foreign-Born Working Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic | journal = European Societies | volume = 23 | issue = sup1 | pages = S370–S383| doi = 10.1080/14616696.2020.1826557 | s2cid = 225166709 | doi-access = free }}

= Society =

{{See also|Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

The pandemic has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

= Spread to other countries and territories =

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tested positive for COVID-19 upon her return from WE Day events in the UK; on 12 March 2020 the Trudeau family entered two weeks of self-isolation.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gr%C3%A9goire-trudeau-self-isolating-1.5495419 |title=Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's coronavirus infection comes after attending U.K. event |publisher=CBC News |first=John Paul |last=Tasker |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318154958/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gr%C3%A9goire-trudeau-self-isolating-1.5495419|archive-date=18 March 2020|url-status=live}} The first patient in Mauritius was a 59-year-old man who returned from the United Kingdom on 7 March 2020. When he arrived in Mauritius, the Mauritian had no symptoms.{{Cite news |url=https://defimedia.info/covid-19-trois-mauriciens-testes-positifs-zot-pe-gayn-tou-tretman-ki-bizin-rassure-le-pm |title=Covid-19 : trois Mauriciens testés positifs; "zot pe gayn tou tretman ki bizin", rassure le PM |date=19 March 2020 |work=Le Défi Media Group |first=Stéphanie |last=Momplé|access-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319191648/https://defimedia.info/covid-19-trois-mauriciens-testes-positifs-zot-pe-gayn-tou-tretman-ki-bizin-rassure-le-pm|archive-date=19 March 2020|url-status=live}} Other cases of the novel coronavirus resulting from travel to the UK were subsequently reported in India{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/city-on-covid-19-map-teen-back-from-uk-tests-positive/articleshow/74682249.cms |title=Kolkata on Covid-19 map, teen back from UK tests positive |website=The Times of India |agency=Television News Network |date=18 March 2020 |access-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319045040/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/city-on-covid-19-map-teen-back-from-uk-tests-positive/articleshow/74682249.cms|archive-date=19 March 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/live/2020/mar/19/covid-19-live--i-am-here-to-seek-from-you-your-next-few-weeks-says-pm-in-address-2118519.html |title=COVID-19 LIVE: Two new cases confirmed in Telangana, India tally crosses 250|website=The New Indian Express |publisher=Express Publications |date=19 March 2020|access-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319160403/https://www.newindianexpress.com/live/2020/mar/19/covid-19-live--i-am-here-to-seek-from-you-your-next-few-weeks-says-pm-in-address-2118519.html|archive-date=19 March 2020|url-status=dead}} and Nigeria.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-51926323 |title=Coronavirus – Virus: Nigeria don confam new Covid-19 outbreak – See wetin we know so far |website=BBC News |language=pcm |date=17 March 2020 |access-date=19 March 2020 |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712232703/https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-51926323 |url-status=live }}

On 16 June 2020, it was widely reported in British media that New Zealand's first COVID-19 cases in 24 days were diagnosed in two British women, both of whom had travelled from the UK and were given special permission to visit a dying parent. The women had entered the country on 7 June, after first flying into Doha and Brisbane.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53059633 |title=New Zealand's first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK |work=BBC News |date=16 June 2020 |access-date=18 June 2020 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617032132/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53059633 |url-status=live }}

A 2021 study suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant, which was first detected in Kent, spread internationally via flights originating in London in late 2020.{{Cite journal|last1=O'Toole|first1=Áine|last2=Hill|first2=Verity|last3=Pybus|first3=Oliver G.|last4=Watts|first4=Alexander|last5=Bogoch|first5=Issac I.|last6=Khan|first6=Kamran|last7=Messina|first7=Jane P.|last8=Tegally|first8=Houriiyah|last9=Lessells|first9=Richard R.|last10=Giandhari|first10=Jennifer|last11=Pillay|first11=Sureshnee|date=17 September 2021|title=Tracking the international spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351/501Y-V2 with grinch|journal=Wellcome Open Research|volume=6|pages=121|doi=10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16661.2|issn=2398-502X|pmc=8176267|pmid=34095513 |doi-access=free }}

Statistics

{{main|Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

File:COVID-19-United Kingdom-log.svg

{{Excerpt|paragraphs=2-3|Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom}}

= Mathematical modelling and government response =

File:Social distancing at the pharmacy Cockfosters London 23_March_2020.jpg at a London pharmacy, 23 March 2020]]

Reports from the Medical Research Council's Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College, London have been providing mathematically calculated estimates of cases and case fatality rates.{{Cite journal|last=Mahase|first=Elisabeth|date=10 February 2020|title=Coronavirus: NHS staff get power to keep patients in isolation as UK declares "serious threat"|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m550|url-status=live|journal=British Medical Journal|volume=368|pages=m550|doi=10.1136/bmj.m550|issn=1756-1833|pmid=32041792|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302191051/https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m550|archive-date=2 March 2020|access-date=2 March 2020|doi-access=free|s2cid=211077551|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite web |title=Report 2 - Estimating the potential total number of novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) cases in Wuhan City, China |last1=Imai |first1=Natsuko |last2=Dorigatti |first2=Ilaria |last3=Cori |first3=Anne |last4=Donnelly |first4=Christl |last5=Riley |first5=Steven |last6=Ferguson |first6=Neil M. |publisher=Imperial College London - MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis |date=22 January 2020 |url= https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/covid-19/report-2-update-case-estimates-covid-19/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125095230/http://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/news--wuhan-coronavirus/|archive-date=25 January 2020}} In February 2020, the team at Imperial College, led by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, estimated about two-thirds of cases in travellers from China were not detected and that some of these may have begun "chains of transmission within the countries they entered".{{Cite news |title=Two thirds of COVID-19 cases exported from mainland China may be undetected |last1=van Elsland |first1=Sabine L. |last2=Wighton |first2=Kate |website=Imperial College London - News |date=22 February 2020 |url= https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/195564/two-thirds-covid-19-cases-exported-from-mainland/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306033332/https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/195564/two-thirds-covid-19-cases-exported-from-mainland/|archive-date=6 March 2020}}{{cite web|last=MacKenzie|first=Debora|title=Covid-19: Our chance to contain the coronavirus may already be over|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2234967-covid-19-our-chance-to-contain-the-coronavirus-may-already-be-over/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226201356/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2234967-covid-19-our-chance-to-contain-the-coronavirus-may-already-be-over/|archive-date=26 February 2020|date=24 February 2020|website=New Scientist}}{{Cite news|date=26 February 2020|title=COVID-19 strains global monitoring systems to the extreme|work=The Japan Times|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/26/world/science-health-world/covid-19-global-monitoring/|access-date=9 March 2020|issn=0447-5763|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712232639/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/article-expired/|url-status=live}} They forecast that the new type of coronavirus could infect up to 60% of the UK's population, in the worst-case scenario.{{cite news|last=Petter|first=Olivia|date=13 February 2020|title=Prevent spread of coronavirus on with 'less hugging and kissing', says virologist|website=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-valentines-day-hugging-kissing-symptoms-outbreak-a9332976.html|url-status=live|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214165034/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-valentines-day-hugging-kissing-symptoms-outbreak-a9332976.html|archive-date=14 February 2020}}

In a paper on 16 March 2020, the Imperial College team provided detailed forecasts of the potential impacts of the epidemic in the UK and US.{{cite web|last1=Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team|date=16 March 2020|title=Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316223332/https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf|archive-date=16 March 2020|access-date=17 March 2020|website=Imperial College London}}{{cite news|last1=Lintern|first1=Shaun|date=17 March 2020|title=World holds its breath and looks to China for clues on what coronavirus pandemic does next|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-uk-china-imperial-college-scientists-modelling-a9405771.html|url-status=live|access-date=18 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318140137/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-uk-china-imperial-college-scientists-modelling-a9405771.html|archive-date=18 March 2020}} It detailed the potential outcomes of an array of 'non-pharmaceutical interventions'. Two potential overall strategies outlined were: mitigation, in which the aim is to reduce the health impact of the epidemic but not to stop transmission completely; and suppression, where the aim is to reduce transmission rates to a point where case numbers fall. Until this point, government actions had been based on a strategy of mitigation, but the modelling predicted that while this would reduce deaths by approximately 2/3, it would still lead to approximately 250,000 deaths from the disease and the health systems becoming overwhelmed. On 16 March, the Prime Minister announced changes to government advice, extending self-isolation to whole households, advising social distancing particularly for vulnerable groups, and indicating that further measures were likely to be required in the future.{{cite news|date=16 March 2020|title=Coronavirus: PM says everyone should avoid office, pubs and travelling|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51917562|url-status=live|access-date=16 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316182658/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51917562|archive-date=16 March 2020}}

A paper on 30 March 2020 by the Imperial College group estimated that the lockdown would reduce the number of dead from 510,000 to less than 20,000. This paper and others relied on data from European countries including the UK to estimate that the combined non-pharmaceutical interventions reduced the reproduction number of the virus by 67–87%, enough to stop infections from growing.{{cite web|last=Ferguson|first=Neil|date=30 March 2020|title=COVID-19 Europe estimates and NPI impact|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-Europe-estimates-and-NPI-impact-30-03-2020.pdf|access-date=10 January 2021|website=Imperial College London, www.imperial.ac.uk|archive-date=14 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414024338/https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-Europe-estimates-and-NPI-impact-30-03-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last1=Brauner|first1=Jan M.|last2=Mindermann|first2=Sören|last3=Sharma|first3=Mrinank|last4=Johnston|first4=David|last5=Salvatier|first5=John|last6=Gavenčiak|first6=Tomáš|last7=Stephenson|first7=Anna B.|last8=Leech|first8=Gavin|last9=Altman|first9=George|last10=Mikulik|first10=Vladimir|last11=Norman|first11=Alexander John|date=19 February 2021|title=Inferring the effectiveness of government interventions against COVID-19|journal=Science|volume=371|issue=6531|pages=eabd9338|doi=10.1126/science.abd9338|issn=0036-8075|pmc=7877495|pmid=33323424|hdl-access=free|hdl=10044/1/86864}} However, followup work concluded that the effectiveness of interventions was lower in later waves of infections.{{Cite journal|last1=Sharma|first1=Mrinank|last2=Mindermann|first2=Sören|last3=Rogers-Smith|first3=Charlie|last4=Leech|first4=Gavin|last5=Snodin|first5=Benedict|last6=Ahuja|first6=Janvi|last7=Sandbrink|first7=Jonas B.|last8=Monrad|first8=Joshua Teperowski|last9=Altman|first9=George|last10=Dhaliwal|first10=Gurpreet|last11=Finnveden|first11=Lukas|date=5 October 2021|title=Understanding the effectiveness of government interventions against the resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe|journal=Nature Communications|volume=12|issue=1|pages=5820|doi=10.1038/s41467-021-26013-4|pmid=34611158|pmc=8492703|bibcode=2021NatCo..12.5820S|issn=2041-1723}}

In April 2020, biostatistician Professor Sheila Bird said the delay in the reporting of deaths from the virus meant there was a risk of underestimating the steepness of the rising epidemic trend.{{cite web|last1=Barr|first1=Caelainn|last2=Duncan|first2=Pamela|last3=McIntyre|first3=Niamh|date=4 April 2020|title=Why what we think we know about the UK's coronavirus death toll is wrong|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/04/why-what-we-think-we-know-about-the-uks-coronavirus-death-toll-is-wrong|access-date=4 April 2020|work=The Guardian|archive-date=4 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404065402/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/04/why-what-we-think-we-know-about-the-uks-coronavirus-death-toll-is-wrong|url-status=live}}

In December 2021 scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine predicted that Omicron could cause from 25,000 to 75,000 deaths in England over the five months to April 2022 unless there were more stringent restrictions, and would probably become the dominant variant by the end of 2021.{{Cite news |title=Omicron could cause 75,000 deaths in England by end of April [2022], say scientists |last=Ambrose |first=Tom |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 December 2021 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/11/omicron-covid-variant-could-cause-75000-deaths-in-england-by-end-of-april-say-scientists}}

= International comparisons =

{{More medical citations needed|section|reason=these are all WP:MEDPOP sources. Please only use actual medical citations when discussing medical topics.|date=June 2022}}

As of 20 December 2021, there had been 11.4 million confirmed cases – the most in Europe and fourth-highest worldwide.{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} By that date there had been {{COVID-19 data/Text|GB|deaths}} deaths among people who had recently tested positive – the world's seventh-highest death toll and 28th-highest death rate by population.{{cite web |title=Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the United Kingdom: Deaths in the United Kingdom |url=https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124160327/https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality |archive-date=24 January 2021 |website=Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center}}{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} This is Europe's second-highest death toll after Russia, and the 20th-highest death rate worldwide.{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} Since early 2021 the UK has had one of the world's highest testing rates.{{cite web |date=1 January – 16 December 2021 |title=Daily COVID-19 tests per thousand people |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-tests-per-thousand-people-smoothed-7-day?tab=chart&time=2021-01-01..2021-12-16&country=GBR~MYS~DNK~THA~ARE~AUS~USA~VNM~ITA~JPN~KOR~ZAF~SGP~RUS~PHL~PAK~IND~IDN~TUR~ESP~ROU~PRT~NGA~NZL~NLD~NPL~MAR~AUT~BEL~BOL~BRA~HRV~CRI~ARG |website=Our World in Data}}{{cite web |title=Total COVID-19 tests per 1,000 people |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/full-list-cumulative-total-tests-per-thousand-bar-chart |website=Our World in Data}} Frequently updated{{Failed verification|date=June 2022}}{{Update inline|date=June 2022|reason=testing has been reduced in 2022.}}

In March 2022, The Lancet published a study showing that, compared to other western European countries, with 127 per 100,000 population, the UK had a lower excess deaths rate during the pandemic than the average, and lower than Italy (227), Portugal (202), Spain (187), Belgium (147), and the Netherlands (140), that the difference between the UK, France (124), and Germany (121) was not statistically significant, and that Ireland (13) and the Scandinavian countries had a lower rate.{{Cite web |last=Rentoul |first=John |date=12 March 2022 |title=If you think you know how many Britons died during the pandemic, think again |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/britain-covid-pandemic-deaths-lancet-b2034463.html |website=Independent}}{{Cite news |last=Smyth |first=Chris |date=12 March 2022 |title=UK's Covid death toll is below the European average |work=The Sunday Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/uks-covid-death-toll-is-below-the-european-average-xw90c59zg}}{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} The UK rate is marginally more than the world average of 120.{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} The study was of excess mortality in 191 countries over the years 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, the method that the chief medical officer of England, Chris Whitty, said is the best way to compare outcomes between countries.{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} The study found that, compared to other countries, the UK tended to attribute more deaths to COVID-19.{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} A Cambridge University epidemiologist, Raghib Ali, said that the study would correct "widespread misconceptions" about the way the UK had handled the pandemic, and that there was "no clear relationship between levels of excess mortality and different levels of restrictions... across western Europe or indeed the whole of Europe".{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}} Ali also said "all the commentary to date as to how and why the UK, or Sweden, has done worse than its neighbours is clearly no longer valid".{{Medical citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Notes

References

External links

{{cite web|url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/|title=Coronavirus (COVID-19)|website=NHS England|date=2 June 2020}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do |title=Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do [in England]|date=16 June 2022 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/129/contents/made |title=The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/advice-covid-19-coronavirus |title= Advice on COVID-19 (coronavirus) |website=Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland)}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/ |title=Coronavirus {{!}} United Kingdom |website=worldometers.info}}
[https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare COVID-19 United Kingdom government statistics]
{{cite report|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-cases-data|title=Variants of concern or under investigation – weekly update|work=Public Health England}}

{{COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories}}

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