Covid-19 cases are rising rapidly again.
According to official government figures, 109,908 people tested positive for the virus in England in the seven days to June 24 – a 37% increase on the previous week.
However, the real numbers are likely to be much higher, as the government only tracks positive tests registered on its website, and the provision of free tests has now ended.
The Zoe Covid Survey, which has been collecting data throughout the pandemic, says there are currently around 285,000 new infections in the UK every day.
He estimates that around 3.1 million people currently have symptomatic Covid-19.
Daily symptomatic infections have increased by 150 percent this month and are at their highest level in all but three weeks of the pandemic, according to Zoe data.
Tim Spector, a professor at King’s College London who runs the app, told i he expected cases to rise to “just under” 300,000 a day by the weekend and could continue to rise next week – although he said he could not to be sure.
The jump in cases is due to the Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, which have displaced BA.2 as the dominant strains in the UK.
Here’s what you need to know about them.
What are the symptoms of BA.4 and BA.5?
There is currently no evidence to suggest that BA.4 and BA.5 cause different symptoms than previous Covid strains.
The NHS lists the following as recognized symptoms of Covid-19:
- High fever or shivering (chills) – a high fever means you feel hot to the touch on your chest or back (you don’t need to take your temperature)
- A new, persistent cough – this means a heavy cough for more than an hour or three or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours
- Loss or change in your sense of smell or taste
- Lack of air
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- Body pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- diarrhea
- Vomiting or retching
What is different about these options?
BA.4 and BA.5 were first discovered in South Africa in January and February 2022.
Both are sub-variants of Omicron, but have mutations that give them significant differences from BA.1 and BA.2, which caused earlier waves of infections.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says BA.4 and BA.5 contain amino acid substitutions L452R, F486V and R493Q in the spike receptor binding domain, which the earlier strains do not.
These changes give the variants a growth advantage over BA.1 and BA.2, which was previously the dominant strain in the UK.
“Preliminary studies suggest a significant change in the antigenic properties of BA.4 and BA.5 compared to BA.1 and BA.2,” says ECDC.
Are these options more dangerous?
Scientists have found that these variants are more infectious and better at evading immunity than previous strains.
However, there is “currently no evidence” that BA.4 and BA.5 cause more serious illnesses, the UK’s Health Safety Agency said.
The latest UKHSA analysis suggests that BA.5 is growing 35.1% faster than BA.2, while BA.4 is growing approximately 19.1% faster.
This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant variant of Covid-19 in the UK, it said.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: “It is clear that the increasing prevalence of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 is significantly increasing the number of cases we have seen in recent weeks. We are seeing an increase in hospital admissions in line with community infections, but vaccinations continue to keep ICU admissions and deaths low.
“As the spread increases, it is more important than ever that we all stay alert, take precautions and ensure we are up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations, which remain our best form of protection against the virus. It’s not too late to catch up if you’ve missed boosters or even first doses, so please get the recommended shots.’
Professor Laurence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, said the recent rise in cases was worrying and “demonstrates that there is no room for complacency when it comes to Covid”.
However, he added: “The good news is that where other countries have experienced significant waves of B.4 and BA.5, namely Portugal and South Africa, these waves have now peaked without a major increase in severe disease. mainly due to vaccination rates in these populations.
“The hope is that it will be similar here and that we have reached the peak of infections.”
More from Health
Will the BA.4 and BA.5 vaccines work?
A UK study suggests that the vaccines provide similar protection against BA.1, BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5.
He also found that prior infection with BA.2 conferred better protection against re-infection with BA.4 and BA.5 than prior infection with BA.1, although in both cases this protection was weak.
This means that people who have had Covid in the last few months will be better protected than those who had it in the weeks before or after Christmas – both because they are more likely to have had BA.2 and because their immunity has weakened less.
The UKHSA said: “Vaccination has so far meant that the rise in cases has not led to an increase in serious illness and death. UKHSA scientists are urging anyone who has not received all the vaccines they are entitled to make sure they get them as soon as possible.’
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