Covid cases surged by 40 per cent in England last week, in what is feared to be the start of a fresh wave of the virus.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 1.13million people were infected on any given day in the week ending June 10, the equivalent of one in 50 of the population. It marks the biggest weekly jump since December, when Omicron was first seeded in the country.
Cases are also rising in Wales and Northern Ireland (one in 45 had the virus last week) and Scotland (one in 30).
The ONS’ weekly infection survey has become the best barometre of the outbreak in the post-pandemic era after free testing was axed and the daily dashboard was scaled down.
Data suggests the resurgence is being driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron, which are thought to be even more infectious than the parent strain. Scientists also believe the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations may have fuelled the uptick.
Meanwhile, outbreaks of Covid are rising in care homes and hospital admissions are increasing. Analysts fear that it could put more pressure on an already overwhelmed health service.
It comes amid growing fears the UK could be staring down the barrel of a dual Covid and flu outbreak this winter, with Australia currently being battered by influenza.
Covid cases surged by 40 per cent in England last week in what is feared to be the start of a fresh wave of the virus, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 1.13million people were infected on any given day in the week ending June 10, the equivalent of one in 50 of the population. That figure is up 42 per cent on the previous week
Kara Steel, senior statistician at the ONS, said: ‘Infections have increased across all four UK nations, driven by rising numbers of people infected with the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants.
‘It remains too early to say if this is the start of another wave, but we continue to monitor the data very closely.’
The ONS survey is the last remaining official surveillance programme used by the Government to track the state of the epidemic. It randomly tests tens of thousands of people every week.
It found the percentage of people testing positive increased in all age groups and English regions in the latest week except the North East, where the trend was uncertain.
Rates were highest in the South East, where 2.4 per cent of the population were estimated to be carrying the virus at some point. In the West Midlands, South West and London, it was 2.2 per cent.
Rates were below the national average of 2 per cent in Yorkshire and the North West (both 1.9 per cent) as well as the East of England and the East Midlands (both 1.8 per cent).
In Wales, the estimated number of people testing positive for Covid was 64,800, equating to 2.13 per cent of the population or one in 45 people.
There were an estimated 42,900 infections in Northern Ireland, also giving it a rate of one in 45. In Scotland, the number of positive tests was estimated to be 176,900, or around 1 in 30 people.
Today’s ONS report marks the biggest week-on-week rise in cases since the week ending December 31, when the Omicron variant wreaked havoc on the country’s New Year celebrations.
The initial Omicron surge was then followed by a rise in the more infectious BA.2 Omicron offshoot, which pushed weekly cases to a record high of 4.1million in late March.
PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WITH COVIS IN ENGLAND: There has been a rise in admissions in recent weeks, with around 700 being admitted per day now. But the daily figures do not differentiate between people who were primarily admitted for the virus or just happened to test positive incidentally
COVID INPATIENTS IN ENGLAND: There are around 5,000 patients with the virus being treated in hospital currently
COVID ICU PATIENTS IN ENGLAND: Just 130 patients are unwell enough to need intensive care
Experts believe the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains are even more infectious than both predecessors and are driving the latest rise.
In a worrying sign, separate data from the UK Health Security Agency show there has been a rise in clusters of cases in care homes.
There were 153 suspected outbreaks across Britain in the week ending June 12, up from 67 the previous week.
The data also shows that Covid hospital admissions among over-85s has risen for the second week in a row, with the rate now 52.7 per 100,000, up from 41.9 a week ago. Admissions in this age group peaked at 212.1 per 100,000 earlier this year during the BA.2 wave.
The overall hospital admission rate for all age groups in England last week was 6.1 per 100,000 people, up from 4.7.
Dr Mary Ramsay, the agency’s director of clinical programmes, said: ‘After a period of low case rates, we are now seeing increases in outbreaks within care homes and in hospitalisations among those aged 80 years and over. It is encouraging that we are not seeing an increase in intensive care unit admissions but we are monitoring data closely and assessing the possible impact of subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
‘As we enter summer, it’s still important to remember that Covid-19 has not gone away and to get vaccinated to reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill.’
Figures published last week by the Office for National Statistics showed Covid-19 levels in the UK were no longer falling, with increases in some parts of the country likely to have been caused by a jump in infections compatible with BA.4 and BA.5.
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