ONS To Cease Covid Gold Standard Monitoring

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/co...391eac73d5c2d5

The gold standard for measuring the level of coronavirus in the community is expected to be scrapped from this April, as part of the government’s major shift in its response to the pandemic, i understands.

The weekly Covid infection survey run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which measures both infection rates and antibodies in households, is due to lapse this spring and it will be either scaled back or phased out altogether if the Treasury does not sign off on funding for another year.

As part of the transition to a new phase of “living with covid” in the UK, which was accelerated by Boris Johnson this week, mass testing – including free daily covid tests for anyone who wants them – is also likely to end within weeks, alongside the requirement for anyone with the virus to self-isolate, due to be removed by the end of this month.