When Joe Biden announced that he had tested positive for COVID last week, he joined the ranks of those who fell this summer.
It turns out that everyone knows someone who is in poor health, and euro experts may have had an impact.
But what do we know about the number of cases, the new variants, and what should we be on the lookout for?
What do we know about case numbers?
It’s tricky to track COVID waves, assess the severity of other variants, and know how effective vaccines are, because COVID surveillance is much less extensive than it used to be, says Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.
Despite this, there is a “widespread feeling” of a summer surge, probably reinforced by other people mixing to watch football, he said.
“The waves continue to be fueled by a proliferation of new variants and a partial decline in immunity against infection,” he added.
Hospital admissions due to COVID have remained at their highest levels for several weeks, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency.
In the week to July 14, the number of people admitted to hospital who tested positive for COVID rose to 4. 35 per 100,000, up from 3. 72 per 100,000 last week.
Wastewater testing is no longer carried out in England, but Scottish expertise can provide insight into what lies south of the border.
The most recent data released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) for the week ending July 7 was 1,245 COVID cases in Scotland.
Dr Kimberly Marsh told BBC Radio Scotland that provisional data for the week ending 14 July showed the number of cases had fallen to 1,130, one of the “first signs that this wave has possibly peaked”.
Professor Christina Pagel, a member of the Independent Sage organisation and director of operations studies at University College London, says that while Scotland and England might have “different dynamics”, the reduction in cases in July in Scotland “suggests that prevalence is decreasing”. .
What variants are in circulation?
The most recent organization of COVID variants is collectively known as FLiRT.
These variants are descendants of JN. 1, which dates back to Omicron.
The FLiRT variants have the same set of mutations that could make it easier for the virus to bypass protection from vaccines or prior infections.
However, the UKHSA says there is no indication lately that those variants are more severe than others in circulation.
What are the symptoms?
The official list of COVID symptoms has been replaced and includes:
• high temperature or chills • new continuous cough • loss or replacement of your sense of smell or taste • difficulty breathing • feeling tired or exhausted • body aches • headache • sore throat • stuffy or runny nose • loss of vision appetite • diarrhea • nausea or malaise.
Dr. Paul Sax, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told NBC News, the U. S. affiliate of Sky News, that other people who tested positive in the summer surge have symptoms across the spectrum.
“Some other people have a very common sore throat, runny nose, cough, and a little fever,” he says.
“In others, the most common is nausea and diarrhea with minimal respiratory symptoms. It can vary from A to Z and more. “
Read more:UK pandemic preparedness laid bare in COVID researchLong COVID leaves unique symptoms in the blood
Can I get vaccinated?
The NHS spring booster program ended at the end of June.
This means that the way to get a COVID vaccine is by paying for it privately.
Many pharmacies offer COVID vaccines to people aged 12 and over, costing between £45 and £99.
What’s in the world?
Infections in the United States are expanding in 42 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Wastewater awareness also shows the highest levels of COVID across the country.
COVID cases have also risen in other parts of Europe, with the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reporting higher rates in some countries, with COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths “remaining low. “