A summer wave of Covid is developing and is being driven by a new variant.
Rates are higher in older people as “FLiRT” (new rapidly transmitted lineage) variants take hold and hospitalization rates indicate that infections are rising. The number of people hospitalized with Covid 3. 31 is 100,000 in the week ending June 16. compared to 2. 67 last week, and even among older people, peaking at 34. 70 in those over 85.
Professor Steve Griffin from the University of Leeds said: “We are clearly just at the beginning, but a new wave of Covid appears to be developing. If the increase in hospitalizations continues, it is clearly worrying. ”
There are fears that Covid rates will spread between age groups before rising through indoor gatherings of other people watching the European Football Championship and at summer music festivals. The most recent data shows that another 146 people died with Covid-19 on their death certificate in the week leading up to June 14. This compares with nearly 1,000 during the week at the height of the pandemic.
Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said: “To be honest, it can’t be avoided because it is so common. “We will all get repeat Covid infections, from birth to death.
“Overall, what we have noticed is that in the last 3 or 4 years the severity of Covid-related ailments has decreased significantly. Ultimately, this will be another cause of the common cold, and for many other people, this is what is happening now. It comes after NHS England made a final appeal last week for others to take up the offer of a spring booster, with only slightly more than a share of other eligible people having done so. Sunday was the last day eligible teams could get one.
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Infection rates have been difficult to estimate since widespread testing was abolished, but hospital admissions imply that a summer wave was underway in mid-June after case numbers rose by a quarter in a single week. . There were also 29% positive cases in the week. Until June 22, most tests are carried out in hospitals and care centers.
Covid-19 is evolving and that can be a smart thing or a bad thing.
The good news is that new variants tend to be less likely to make you seriously ill or kill. That does not mean that we are complacent. For the very old or immunocompromised, the virus can still be dangerous.
The current trend we’ve noticed with the new variants is that they’re replacing the older variants by spreading more easily. They mutate to avoid immunity from vaccines or past infections and are therefore more contagious.
There is no explanation as to why we recommend that FLiRT variants be different. Long Covid is also a risk, lower than with previous variants.
A summer surge will require extra attention to hand hygiene and mixing indoors if you or someone you enjoy is clinically vulnerable. It’s time to dust off all the old Covid tests before visiting grandma and the workplace if you have a cold.
By Martin Bagot, Health Editor
The main FLiRT variants are called KP. 2 and KP. 3 and accounted for a total of 40% of Covid cases in April. They have several new mutations. Professor Griffin added: “Although we just introduced a booster campaign for vulnerable populations in spring, participation is down compared to 2023. There is a big difference between existing vaccines and circulating viruses. “
The so-called “Flirt” derives from so-called spike protein mutation techniques or amino acid tweaks in the variant. Each amino acid has its own abbreviated letter. Flirt is F456L R346T, or phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456 and arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346. Dr. Jamie López Bernal, a consultant epidemiologist on vaccination at the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), had said in the past that he had “seen a buildup in Covid-19 across all indicators, adding hospitalizations. “
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