Health Officials Express Concern Over New COVID Wave Surges, As Cases Double
Without a doubt, COVID has not gone away as the number of cases rises once again.
Although the outbreak may seem like a horrible nightmare to many, latest data shows that COVID hasn’t gone away, since the number of cases has more than doubled since January of this year. As vaccine immunity wanes and variations appear, the number of Covid cases has been steadily rising since the year began.
According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the number of hospital patients in England who tested positive for Covid increased by 7% during the week ending Sunday, April 6, as the “positivity rate” increased from 4.2% to 4.5%. The positive rate was only 2.2% in early January, when COVID was at its lowest level in at least two years, which means that about 1 in 330 people were infected.
Despite the fact that confidence is currently just around 25% of its peak from last summer, British citizens are cautioned not to become overconfident.
Dr. Wylie thinks people who haven’t had a recent vaccination or infection are most likely to contract new variations, even though another “pandemic-level crisis like in 2020” is improbable.
According to data from the UK Health Security Agency based on the 2024 spring vaccination program, individuals who received the vaccine had a more than 40% decreased likelihood of being hospitalized with COVID-19 for up to two months after receiving it compared to those who did not.
“Like we see with other respiratory viruses, seasonal changes and increased indoor social mixing can contribute to the spread,” Dr. Wylie explains.
“A sore throat, cough, congestion, exhaustion, and occasionally a fever or loss of taste or smell—though the latter is less common these days—are common symptoms.”
In England, almost 7.5 million people are eligible to receive the NHS spring booster top-up vaccination. From April 1 to June 17, the booster will be available for use.
Vaccinations are available for:
The target audience is anyone 75 years of age or older.
residents of a facility that provides senior care.
People between the ages of six months and seventy-four who have weakened immune systems are more susceptible to severe illness.
If you are 74 years old and turn 75 on June 17, 2025, you don’t have to wait for your birthday to come around.