Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (July–December 2022) facts for kids
This page shares important events about the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom from July to December 2022. During this time, different parts of the UK (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales) had their own rules and ways of reporting cases.
You'll find information about how many people had the virus, new vaccines, and how the pandemic affected daily life. The numbers for cases and deaths were updated daily on a government website. Also, a study called the COVID Symptom Study helped estimate how many people had COVID-19, even if they weren't officially tested in a lab.
Key Events in the UK's COVID-19 Journey
July 2022: Cases Rise Again
- 1 July – Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that COVID-19 cases were increasing in the UK. About 2.3 million people, or one in 30, had the virus in the week ending 24 June. This was a 32% increase from the week before, likely due to the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
- 3 July – Dame Jenny Harries, who leads the UK Health Security Agency, warned that more people might need hospital care as infections went up. She advised people to live normally but carefully.
- 8 July –
- The ONS reported that 2.7 million people, or one in 25, had COVID-19 in the week ending 1 July, as cases continued to climb.
- Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner were cleared of breaking lockdown rules during a meeting in Durham.
- 13 July – The total number of confirmed deaths from the virus in the UK went over 200,000. The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 types of the virus were now the most common.
- 14 July – A study of 17,500 people with COVID-19 showed that a sore throat was the most common symptom. Other frequent symptoms included headache, blocked nose, and cough.
- 15 July –
- The ONS data for the week ending 8 July showed that 3.5 million people, about one in 18, had COVID-19. This was up from 2.7 million (one in 25) the week before.
- The plan for autumn vaccine boosters was expanded. It would now include all adults over 50, younger people who were more vulnerable, and health and social care workers.
- 21 July – The UK public inquiry started. Its leader, Baroness Hallett, promised to look closely at how the UK handled the pandemic and if more could have been done.
- 22 July – The ONS reported 3.8 million COVID-19 infections in the UK for the week ending 15 July, a 7% rise. However, the growth in cases was slowing down, and other data suggested this wave might have already peaked.
- 27 July – Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London announced progress towards a universal coronavirus vaccine after tests on mice. They found antibodies that could fight against many different coronavirus types.
- 28 July – The media watchdog Ofcom began investigating UK news channel GB News. This was after presenter Mark Steyn made misleading claims about COVID-19 booster vaccines, saying they were harming people.
- 29 July – ONS data for the week up to 20 July showed 3.2 million people in the UK had COVID-19. This was a drop from 3.8 million the week before, suggesting the latest wave of cases had peaked.
August 2022: Cases Decline, Exams Return
- 2 August –
- BBC News reported that over 16,000 businesses that received government loans during the pandemic had closed without paying them back.
- Figures showed that the number of nightclubs in the UK had dropped by 20% since March 2020, from 1,418 to 1,130.
- 3 August – Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government's top science advisor during the pandemic, announced he would leave his role in April 2023.
- 5 August – The latest ONS data showed another drop in COVID-19 cases in the UK. There were 2.6 million cases in the week up to 26 July, a decrease of over half a million from the previous week.
- 6 August – The 2022 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo began. It was the first time this event was held in person since the pandemic started.
- 9 August –
- NHS England reported that the number of people waiting over two years for routine surgery had fallen from 22,500 at the start of 2022 to less than 200.
- The 2022 Scottish Higher exam results were released. These were the first public exams for Scottish students since 2019. The pass rate was 78.9%, lower than during the pandemic years (when exams were cancelled) but higher than in 2019.
- 11 August – Kate Brunner was chosen to lead an independent review into how the Isle of Man Government handled the COVID-19 pandemic in the Isle of Man.
- 14 August – The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that six people who were charged with breaking lockdown rules at protests would not be prosecuted.
- 15 August – The UK became the first country to approve an updated Moderna vaccine. This vaccine protects against both the original COVID-19 virus and the Omicron variant.
- 18 August –
- The first A Level results since the pandemic were published in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Fewer students got top grades than in 2021, but more than in 2019.
- Margaret Ferrier, an MP, admitted to breaking COVID-19 rules by traveling on a train after testing positive for COVID-19 in September 2020.
- 19 August – The latest ONS data, covering the first week of August, showed that 1.7 million people, or one in 40, had COVID-19.
- 24 August – The UK government announced that most hospital patients and care home residents in England would no longer need COVID-19 tests. However, new admissions would still be tested. Free rapid tests for health and social care staff would also end on 31 August.
- 25 August –
- Rishi Sunak, a candidate for Conservative Party leadership, said the UK government gave too much power to scientists during the pandemic and wasn't honest about the effects of lockdown.
- The first GCSE results since the pandemic were published. They showed differences in performance between regions, with more top grades in London than in the north of England.
- Former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis claimed the BBC tried to please Downing Street after she said Dominic Cummings had clearly broken lockdown rules in 2020. The BBC denied her comments.
- 28 August – The Notting Hill Carnival was held for the first time since the pandemic. The 2020 and 2021 events were held online.
- 30 August –
- Madelaine McTernan, who was recently appointed to oversee hormone-replacement therapy, returned to her role of overseeing vaccines for the autumn COVID-19 booster program.
- Eurostar announced it would stop train services between London and Disneyland Paris from 5 June 2023. This was to focus on its main routes as it recovered from the pandemic.
September 2022: Cases at a Low Point
- 1 September –
- The UK COVID-19 public inquiry began looking into decisions made by the government at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
- UK health agencies clarified that advice for pregnant and breastfeeding women about the vaccine had not changed, after false information spread online.
- 5 September – The Autumn 2022 COVID-19 booster program began in England. Care home residents and people who were housebound were the first to be offered the vaccine.
- 12 September – Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that COVID-19 cases were at their lowest since October 2021. Fewer than a million people (about one in 70) had the virus in the last week of August.
- 13 September – Margaret Ferrier, the MP who traveled by train after testing positive for COVID-19, was given 270 hours of community service for carelessly exposing the public to the virus.
- 23 September – ONS data for the week up to 14 September showed the first rise in COVID-19 infections since mid-July. One in 70 people had the virus, with the biggest increase among secondary school students.
- 24 September – An article in The Times quoted scientists who suggested the Omicron variant might be "the last Covid-19 variant we have to battle." They thought the virus might be settling down because Omicron had lasted longer than previous variants.
October 2022: Inquiry Begins, Cases Rise Again
- 4 October – The first meeting of the COVID-19 inquiry was held. Its leader, Baroness Hallett, said that those who suffered would be at the heart of the inquiry.
- 5 October – Campaigners criticized the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, for saying that those wanting a separate COVID-19 inquiry for Wales had "moved on." The Welsh Government clarified he meant they had "shifted their focus" and that a UK-wide inquiry was better.
- 7 October – The latest Office for National Statistics data suggested about 1.3 million people (or one in 50) had COVID-19, with many cases in those over 70. Health experts advised people to avoid vulnerable friends and family as a precaution.
- 10 October – The 2022 BAFTA Cymru Awards Ceremony was held in Cardiff. It was the first in-person ceremony since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 11 October – The Celtic Connections Festival returned for the first time since January 2020, having been postponed or held online due to the pandemic.
- 13 October – Health figures showed that hospital waiting lists in England reached seven million, the highest ever recorded.
- 14 October –
- The latest COVID-19 data from the Office for National Statistics suggested 1.7 million people (about one in 37) had COVID-19. This was a rise from one in 50 the previous week.
- Ofcom announced another investigation into GB News over its coverage of COVID-19 vaccination. This followed an interview where a guest made harmful claims about vaccines.
- 18 October – NHS England warned that up to half of its hospital beds could be filled with patients having breathing problems due to a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and flu over the winter.
- 28 October – ONS data for the week ending 17 October showed about two million COVID-19 infections in the UK, roughly one in 30 people. These figures were similar to the previous week.
- 31 October – The COVID-19 public inquiry asked to see former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's messages from his time in office as part of its investigation.
November 2022: Cases Fall, Pandemic Effects Seen
- 4 November – The latest Office for National Statistics data showed 1.9 million COVID-19 cases in the week up to 24 October, with about one in 35 people having the virus. Cases fell in England and Wales, rose slightly in Northern Ireland, and were uncertain for Scotland.
- 7 November – BBC News analysis showed a 10% rise in five- and six-year-olds in England needing speech therapy. Experts partly linked this to the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns.
- 9 November – SureScreen Diagnostics became one of the first UK companies approved to supply a combined COVID and flu testing kit.
- 11 November –
- The latest ONS data showed a general fall in COVID-19 cases in the UK, with 1.5 million people testing positive in the week up to 1 November. This 18% drop suggested the latest wave was ending.
- The Metropolitan Police confirmed no action would be taken against Shaun Bailey and other Conservative Party members who attended a party in December 2020 during lockdown.
- Kate Brunner, leading the review into the Isle of Man Government's handling of the pandemic, asked for the review to cover a longer period, from November 2019 to April 2022.
- 15 November – The group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice flew a banner over the set of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! to protest against former Health Secretary Matt Hancock appearing on the show.
- 18 November – Data from the ONS for the week up to 8 November showed 1.1 million people tested positive for COVID-19, a 27% fall. In England, cases were under a million for the first time since September.
- 22 November – Kym Marsh could not participate in Strictly Come Dancing on 26 November after testing positive for COVID-19.
- 28 November – A trial of the blood thinner Apixaban as a COVID-19 treatment found it "puts patients at risk for no clear benefit."
- 29 November – A report by the UK Health Security Agency concluded that mistakes by the Immensa laboratory might have led to 23 extra COVID-19-related deaths when positive tests were wrongly identified as negative.
December 2022: Cases Rise Again, Flu Surges
- 1 December – An extract from Matt Hancock's diaries suggested he opposed a plan to release non-violent prisoners in March 2020 to help control the virus in prisons.
- 2 December – Office for National Statistics data for the week up to 21 November showed COVID-19 infections in the UK rose above one million again, a 6% increase. Infections also rose in England for the first time since mid-October.
- 3 December – In his diaries, Matt Hancock claimed England's Chief Medical Officer told him in January 2020 that 800,000 people could die from COVID-19.
- 6 December –
- An investigation began into the March 2020 death of Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, a 13-year-old from Brixton, South London, who was the first child in the UK known to have died from COVID-19.
- Conservative Party member Michelle Mone asked to take a break from the House of Lords to clear her name after claims she benefited a company she recommended for a COVID contract.
- 7 December – Cesar Franco from Streatham became the first person in the UK to receive a double lung transplant due to complications from COVID-19.
- 9 December – The latest ONS data showed 1.1 million people tested positive for COVID-19 in the week up to 26 November, about 1.7% of the population. Cases increased slightly in England and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland and Wales.
- 13 December – Moderna and MSD developed an experimental mRNA vaccine for cancer using the same technology as COVID-19 vaccines.
- 14 December – A court hearing concluded that a man who died in April 2021 from a blood clot did so as a "direct result" of receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
- 16 December – A rapid increase in flu cases was reported, with hospital admissions for flu surpassing those for COVID-19.
- 19 December – The UK government began legal action against PPE Medpro, a company that supplied personal protective equipment (PPE) in 2020, for breaking their contract. The government sought £122 million over medical gowns.
- 20 December – A report highlighted an increase in people not working since the pandemic began, with 565,000 more people economically inactive since 2020. Early retirement was the main reason.
- 22 December – A trial of the antiviral drug Molnupiravir found that while it sped up recovery time for COVID-19 patients, it did not reduce hospital admissions or deaths.
- 23 December –
- Office for National Statistics data for the week ending 9 December showed 1.4 million people in the UK (about one in 45) had COVID-19. Cases rose in England and Scotland, while they were uncertain for Wales and Northern Ireland. Flu cases were also at their highest since winter 2017–18.
- The UK Health Security Agency warned people feeling unwell with flu or COVID-19 not to visit vulnerable relatives during the holidays.
- 26 December – The UK Health Security Agency confirmed it would stop publishing coronavirus data models from early January 2023.
- 29 December – Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace confirmed the UK was reviewing its response to China lifting its Zero COVID policy. Other countries had placed travel restrictions on China.
- 30 December – The UK government confirmed that passengers arriving in England from China would need a negative COVID test before boarding their flight when China reopened its borders on 8 January.
- 31 December –
- The Times reported that England's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, warned ministers that thousands of middle-aged people were dying from heart conditions because they didn't get needed medication during the pandemic.
- BBC Radio 2 presenter DJ Spoony was recognized in the 2023 New Year Honours for his charity work through music during the pandemic.
Images for kids
See also
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (January–June 2020)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (July–December 2020)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (January–June 2021)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (July–December 2021)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (January–June 2022)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (2023)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in England (2022)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland (2022)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales (2022)
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland (2022)
- History of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom
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