More than half a million people in the UK have been given shopping vouchers worth more than 200 million dollars.
The Covid-19 Infection Survey is the largest survey of coronaviruses in the UK and helps to shape the government's response to the Pandemic.
Vouchers are offered to people who take tests. These can be used for specific retailers. Some households have been given vouchers worth more than a thousand dollars.
The Office for National Statistics said that participants were not obliged to accept the payouts, and that they were kept under regular review to make sure they were an effective incentive.
Between the start of the survey in April 2020 and the end of the survey in November 2021, over half a million vouchers with a face value of £50 were issued. The total value of these vouchers is over 26 million dollars, and participants who are selected at random are given £25 vouchers for every visit they make to Covid. Vouchers worth over $200 million have been handed out.
The vouchers can be used at over 100 outlets. The picture was taken by REX/Shutterstock.
The vouchers can be used at more than 100 outlets. When details of the scheme first emerged, MPs questioned why the vouchers were not being targeted to ensure the cash would help boost high street stores.
The ONS said that the Amazon vouchers were no longer available because they were not connected to any criticism of the online giant potentially benefiting from the scheme.
How many people are getting Covid, how many people have had Covid before, and how many people have a strong immune response to the vaccine are some of the questions the survey will ask.
It is one of the largest surveys in the world. It is one of the most valuable resources on the planet, according to Dr James Doidge, a senior statistician at the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre.
The DHSC commissioned the React study, which was carried out by Imperial College London in partnership with the Imperial College healthcare trust, to gather data during the Pandemic, but it does not offer vouchers. More than 100,000 people across England are sent a one-off nose/throat test each month.
The Covid-19 Infection Survey has been important in understanding the spread of coronaviruses in the community.
The payment of vouchers was considered appropriate because it was routine practice to offer modest compensation. The vouchers are not required to be accepted by participants, but they can be used to reflect the time and hassle whole households experience taking part in the study.
The ONS and the DHSC are involved in the study along with the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester, the UK Health Security Agency and the Wellcome Trust.
