Figures released by Britain’s Office for National Statistics showed that more than three million people in the UK had COVID-19 last week, although there was no corresponding increase in hospitalizations. The number of deaths from COVID-19 also fell slightly in the last week. “Covid-19 is not gone,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, of the Health Security Agency. “It is also reasonable to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces,” he said. Britain lifted almost all coronavirus measures, including mask use and social distancing, months ago and masks are rarely seen on public transport. The latest jump in coronavirus cases follows an earlier surge of around 40 per cent last month, following major street parties, concerts and celebrations held as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations of 70 years of reign. Elizabeth. British officials said the latest wave of COVID-19 infections were likely caused by Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Omicron tends to cause a milder illness than previous variants such as Alpha or Delta, but scientists warn that its ability to evade the immune system means that people may be more susceptible to re-infection, even after vaccination. Despite widespread vaccination across Britain, vaccine protection is probably waning and Omicron and its subvariants have evolved to become more infectious. Britain’s Health Security Agency said they were seeing more cases in care homes for the elderly and an increase in intensive care unit admissions for over-65s. Dr Jonathan Van-Tam, former deputy chief medical officer for the UK, told the BBC that COVID-19 is now “much, much, much closer to seasonal flu” than when it first appeared. But he said experts should be on the lookout for any signs that the virus is causing more serious illness. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute also reported a similar rise in the coronavirus, with cases rising particularly among the elderly, children and teenagers. France has seen a jump in its COVID-19 hospitalization rate, and officials recently advised people to start wearing masks again on public transport. Globally, the World Health Organization said this week that COVID-19 is on the rise in more than 100 countries. The UN health agency warned that lax control and surveillance measures mean it may be harder to catch emerging variants before they spread more widely.
