The Bureau of National Statistics said its latest analysis of household coatings across Britain revealed a mixed picture with a “slight increase” in positive tests in England and Northern Ireland, while trends in Wales and Scotland remained unclear. ONS data, which provide the most reliable picture of the epidemic situation in the UK, suggest that the steady decline in infections in recent months may have been reversed as cases increase from the more contagious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants. . According to the ONS survey, an estimated 797,500 people in England and 27,700 in Northern Ireland would have tested positive for Covid in the week ending June 2, up from 784,100 and 24,300 respectively last week. The appearance last November of the first Omicron variant, BA.1, sparked Covid waves around the world. This spring, a second wave in the UK was fueled by a more contagious relative known as BA.2. While BA.2 is now in decline, it has two more transmitted offspring, namely BA.4 and BA.5, both of which are on the rise. Public health officials are particularly concerned about BA.5, which is spreading faster than BA.4 and is responsible for new outbreaks in Europe, particularly in Portugal and Germany. At the end of May, BA.5 accounted for almost 14% of the Covid virus genomes analyzed in the UK, almost double that of BA.4. The latest ONS report shows that the percentage of people tested positive for coronavirus increased in London, the south-east and the north-west, but decreased in the east Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber. While infections were declining in all age groups, rates have now either leveled off or started to increase, with clear increases evident between the ages of 35 and 49. Sarah Crofts, head of analytical results for the Covid ONS Infection Research, said: “Today’s data show a mixed picture of infection rates across the UK, with small increases in England and Northern Ireland, possibly due to rising trends in Omicron BA.4 and Variations BA.5. ” Dr Steven Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, said the Jubilee celebrations may have contributed to the rise, but it was only part of a large increase in “mixing, travel and interaction between large groups” that continues unabated in the UK. all safeguards were lifted earlier this year. He said the recent increase in Covid treatment was of particular concern. This may be due solely to a larger number of infections, but mutations in newer variants of Omicron could also play a role. “It’s important to emphasize that we are better off immunologically to deal with much of the potential for serious illness than we were in 2020 or 2021 due to extensive vaccinations,” Griffin said. “As we enter, surprisingly, our third wave of 2022, there is a complex pattern of immunity caused by vaccines, boosters and previous infection.” The spring boost and further shootings in the fall should prevent much of the serious illness seen in previous Covid waves, but Griffin said concerns about the school situation remain, with less than 10% of people under 12 years old are vaccinated. “Given the lack of protection in schools, this is likely to cause further infections in children and staff, with predictable disruption across the spectrum and further increases in the long Covid,” he said.
