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The coronavirus could have infected as much as half of the the UK’s population, according to researchers at the University of Oxford.

Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology at Oxford, led a study into the infection rate of Covid-19 across the country.

The findings came on the same day the official death toll jumped to a record 87 in one day to 422 and confirmed cases leapt by 1,427.

The new model from Oxford University suggests the virus was circulating in the UK by mid-January, around two weeks before the first reported case and a month before the first reported death.

And the research suggested that less than one thousand of those with Covid-19 became ill enough to need treatment in hospital, with the vast majority developing mild symptoms or none at all.

This means it could have had enough time to have spread widely, with many people in the country acquiring immunity.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Professor Gupta said testing was needed to assess the theory.

Oxford’s research represents a very different view to the modelling at Imperial College London, which influenced government policy to tackle the spread of the virus in the UK.

“I am surprised that there has been such unqualified acceptance of the Imperial model,” Professor Gupta told the same newspaper.

But she was reluctant to criticise Boris Johnson’s decision to place the country on lockdown as the accuracy of the new model has not yet been confirmed.

If accurate, the results would mean the country has already acquired substantial “herd immunity” through the unrecognised spread of the illness.

Herd immunity is the idea that coronavirus will stop spreading when enough people have become resistant after being infected.

The shutdown across the UK could be removed much sooner expected if the findings are confirmed by testing, it was reported.

London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 50 show all London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1/50 A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 2/50 An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images 5/50 Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn 6/50 Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images 7/50 Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA 8/50 A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images 9/50 A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA 10/50 An empty Millenium Bridge PA 11/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 12/50 People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP 13/50 Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters 14/50 Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 15/50 Waterloo station looking empty PA 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images 18/50 PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA 19/50 Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA 20/50 A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA 21/50 The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP 22/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. 23/50 A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA 24/50 A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images 27/50 A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA 28/50 A deserted Chinatown PA 29/50 A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA 30/50 The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA 31/50 The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 32/50 The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 33/50 Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP 34/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 35/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 36/50 An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images 37/50 Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn 38/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 39/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 40/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA 43/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 44/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 45/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/50 London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP 47/50 A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA 48/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 49/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 50/50 Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn 1/50 A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 2/50 An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images 5/50 Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn 6/50 Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images 7/50 Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA 8/50 A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images 9/50 A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA 10/50 An empty Millenium Bridge PA 11/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 12/50 People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP 13/50 Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters 14/50 Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 15/50 Waterloo station looking empty PA 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images 18/50 PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA 19/50 Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA 20/50 A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA 21/50 The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP 22/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. 23/50 A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA 24/50 A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images 27/50 A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA 28/50 A deserted Chinatown PA 29/50 A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA 30/50 The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA 31/50 The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 32/50 The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 33/50 Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP 34/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 35/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 36/50 An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images 37/50 Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn 38/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 39/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 40/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA 43/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 44/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 45/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/50 London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP 47/50 A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA 48/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 49/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 50/50 Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn

It is hoped testing will begin as soon as this week.

More than 90,000 people have been tested for Covid-19 in the UK, 82,359 of which came back negative.

NHS England said 83 of the 87 new deaths in the UK happened in England, bringing the total number of deaths there to 386.

Patients were aged between 33 and 103 years old and all were in vulnerable groups including those with underlying conditions.

According to NHS England, 21 of the deaths were reported at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust in Harrow.

A further seven died at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

Four died at each of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The latest figures were announced as the country enters its first day of lockdown after Boris Johnson announced people should only leave their homes for four reasons.

People can leave their homes to shop for essentials, for one form of exercise per day, for medical need or to provide care to a vulnerable person and travelling to and from essential work.