ONE in four older adults who test positive for Covid-19 are no longer following the rules for self-isolating, a new survey suggests.

Only 75 per cent of respondents aged between 35 and 54 said they fully adhered to the isolation requirements for the entire ten-day period after testing positive, down from 86 per cent in the summer, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

However, a higher proportion of young adults are following the rules, up from 75 per cent to 82 per cent.

The figures are based on responses collected from adults in England between September 27 and October 2.

The ONS said the figures should be treated with some caution, as the survey was based on a relatively small sample of people who reported their own behaviour.

The news comes after new research found the risk of death involving Covid-19 is 32 times greater in unvaccinated people than in those who have received both doses.

Data from the ONS found mortality rates for coronavirus were “consistently lower” for those who had received both jabs, compared with those who had only one or none at all.

Among unvaccinated people in England, there were 849.7 deaths involving Covid-19 per 100,000 “person years” between January 2 and September 24, compared with just 26.2 for those who had their second dose of a vaccine at least three weeks previously.

Person years are based on the number of people and the amount of time spent in a particular vaccination group - for example, 100 people in a vaccination group for 0.5 years would equal 50 person years.

Responding to the figures, Dr Peter English, former consultant in communicable disease control, said: “There are among the best available data on the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing the most serious adverse outcome of Covid-19.

“The important message here is that vaccination is highly effective against death from Covid-19. You are 32 times less likely to die if you have been fully vaccinated than if you are unvaccinated and a single dose also provides some (although less than two doses) protection.”

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