The COVID pandemic is lengthy gone, however we’re nonetheless being stalked by the virus.
Boots reviews that gross sales of COVID exams have jumped by greater than a 3rd this month as individuals endure extra coughs, sore throats and complications.
And customers of the ZOE well being app are additionally reporting extra COVID signs.
Data for 29 July reveals that 789,695 individuals throughout the UK are estimated to have symptomatic COVID.
Rates are at present highest within the South West of England with between 931 and 1,628 every day new instances per million individuals – with Wales not far behind with between 591 and 1,755 new reviews a day per million individuals.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, charges are at their lowest with someplace between 328 and 1,088 new instances a day per million individuals.
These are large ranges, so there may be uncertainty concerning the precise quantity.
The Government not funds the extra dependable and complete an infection survey run by the Office for National Statistics.
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Nevertheless, the ZOE knowledge does present a 30% rise in every day instances for the reason that begin of July.
But they’re nonetheless properly under the peaks of the pandemic. The ZOE knowledge reveals there have been greater than 3.8 million every day new instances as Omicron surged final spring.
The current rise additionally reveals a small enhance in individuals admitted to hospital with COVID.
The newest knowledge from the Government dashboard reveals 677 sufferers in England had a optimistic take a look at within the week to 21 July, up from 465 on the finish of June.
Again, that is properly under the Omicron peak of 9,618.
Still, the UK Health Protection Agency says it’s maintaining a tally of the figures.
So what is going on on? Surely we have been rid of the virus way back?
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Waning immunity will play a big half.
With much less virus circulating it’s many months since many individuals could have been contaminated.
And it’s even longer in the past that the majority had a dose of the vaccine.
Last autumn, everybody over 50 was urged to have a booster.
But uptake was simply 40% in individuals of their early 50s in England and more likely to be related in the remainder of the UK.
In these of their late 50s, it was 52%.
It’s solely whenever you get to the over 75s, the group most susceptible to severe an infection, that uptake climbed above 80%.
The over-75s have been additionally eligible for a booster within the spring of this yr, with 70% taking over the provide. So their safety is more likely to be holding up.
But safety in the remainder of the inhabitants is falling off.
COVID is right here to remain.
It’s far milder now than it was, with no signal of a troubling new variant in additional than 18 months.
But charges will go on rising and falling, similar to so many different respiratory infections.
Source: information.sky.com”