New modelling found that one in five people in Britain may have been infected with the coronavirus. This rose to almost one in two in some areas, according to the Edge Health analysis.

This suggests that across the United Kingdom, the actual figure could be five times higher than the officially reported figure.

The modelling further suggested that in some areas, the disparity could be wider. Parts of London and the south are speculated to have around eight times as many cases as have been detected to date, The Guardian reported.

The analysis further revealed that the true number of coronavirus infections in England could be as high as 12.4 million, equivalent to 22 per cent of the population, as of 3 January.

The results noted that over 10 per cent of residents in 138 of England’s 149 upper-tier local authorities have contracted coronavirus.

Worst-hit areas

Furthermore, four north-western local authorities, which had been adversely affected by the second wave of the pandemic were among the ten worst-hit local authorities: Liverpool with 38.8 per cent infected, Manchester 38.6 per cent, Rochdale 38 per cent, and Salford 37.8 per cent.

Notably, estimated cases are more than five times the official count in 77 areas of England – just over half the 149 upper-tier local authorities analysed.

George Batchelor, the co-founder and director of Edge Health, said in an official statement: “Reported tests are only a fraction of the picture of total infections, which show how badly hit London and the north-west have been during the pandemic. It is incredible that the level of understanding of where and how infections are occurring is not greater at this stage, since it would allow control measures to be more targeted.”

He added: “Even with imminent vaccinations, it is crucial to develop this understanding so that future variants of the virus can be effectively controlled and managed.”

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