COVID-19 Positivity Rates Increases to 7 Percent in Week 39 Across the United Kingdom
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Sep 28, 2026 32 minutes ago
COVID-19 activity is rising again as Britain moves into autumn, with new surveillance data showing hospital-based SARS-CoV-2 test positivity reaching 7 percent. However, while the Week 39 report is nationally published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the detailed COVID-19 surveillance figures presented in the latest report apply specifically to England and cover data through Week 38, ending September 20, 2026. UKHSA currently classifies COVID-19 activity as increasing.
COVID-19 surveillance in England shows rising test positivity and hospital admissions as respiratory virus activity
increases heading into autumn.
Hospital Test Positivity Climbs Sharply
The clearest signal came from laboratory surveillance. SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity in hospital settings reached a rolling seven-day rate of 7.0 percent by September 20, rising from 5.9 percent one week earlier. This represents an increase of 1.1 percentage points in just one week. UKHSA cautions that changes in testing practices can influence positivity rates and complicate comparisons across longer periods.
Respiratory DataMart provided another indication of increasing circulation. Among 2,658 respiratory specimens tested for SARS-CoV-2 during Week 38, 131 were positive, producing positivity of 4.9 percent, compared with 4.1 percent during the previous week. The highest positivity in this surveillance system was recorded among adults aged 65 to 79 years, at 5.6 percent. Data were available from nine of 14 sentinel laboratories.
Primary Care Data Shows Continued Viral Circulation
GP sentinel surveillance also detected substantial SARS-CoV-2 activity. Of 178 samples tested during Week 38, COVID-19 positivity stood at 7.9 percent, slightly higher than 7.5 percent during Week 37. UKHSA classified this indicator as stable and at a low level. The primary care surveillance network encompasses approximately 2,000 GP practices covering more than 20 million registered patients across England.
This
Thailand Medical News report also notes that emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness increased during the reporting period, adding another signal that infections were translating into greater healthcare activity.
Hospital Admissions Rise Nearly 50 Percent
More significantly, COVID-19 hospital admission rates increased from 0.81 to 1.20 per 100,000 population, an increase of approximately 48 percent. London recorded the highest regional admission rate at 1.70 per 100,000, up from 0.95.
Older adults continued to experience the greatest burden. Among people aged 85 years and older, admissions climbed from 7.08 to 12.43 per 100,000, representing an increase of approximately 76 percent. The hospitalization figures were derived from 93 NHS trusts in England.
What The Latest Numbers Indicate
The surveillance findings show a consistent upward movement across several COVID-19 indicators, including hospital PCR positivity, laboratory sentinel positivity, emergency department activity, and hospital admissions. The simultan
eous increases warrant continued monitoring, particularly among older adults.
Reference:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2026-to-2027-season/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-24-september-2026-week-39 
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