The cost of living crisis may "exacerbate waves of winter viruses" in Wales, the Welsh Government's scientific advisers have warned. They claim that illnesses such as Covid-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could become more prevalent due to people "crowding into one room to stay warm and save on energy use".
The report states that this winter could see higher levels of typical winter viruses than the previous two years when restrictions were put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19. It adds that cases of flu and RSV are already being detected in parts of Wales which is weeks earlier than normal.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that just over 2% of the Welsh population, or one in 50 people, is currently living with Covid-19. In the government's Technical Advisory Cell (TAC) report, the 'most likely' scenario for the virus this winter – based on research from the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) – would see hospital admissions peak at around 100 per day at the start of December before tailing off into January.
