Covid soaring among five to 11-year-olds as one in ten primary school pupils have virus

NEARLY one in ten primary school pupils has Covid as cases continue to soar.

The virus is “absolutely rife” among five to 11-year-olds, experts are warning.

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Nine per cent of them had the bug last week.

It means that almost three children in every primary class in England now has it.

England’s largest coronavirus infection survey shows record numbers of cases in the last three weeks of March — with one in 16 people positive — fuelled by the super infectious BA.2 Omicron variant.

But NHS data shows vaccines are still working well.

The number of patients needing mechanical ventilation remained steady at about 300.

On Monday, 20,398 people in UK hospitals had Covid — the highest for more than 13 months.

But more than half were admitted for another ailment.

The React study shows about 6.3 per cent of people had the virus last month – topping a previous high of four per cent in mid-January.

Some 8.3 per cent of over-55s had Covid last week, 20 times high- er than the pandemic average.

Imperial College London professor Paul Elliot, who runs React, said greater mixing and waning immunity were to blame.