The UK’s leading scientists have warned the country will see a new wave of infections this month.
Speaking during a briefing by the Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), Professor Christina Pagel said: “The new wave is now starting.”
She added: “We will have a new wave of infections this month. Now hopefully it won’t be as high as the previous two waves and might be lower. But we can’t count on that and either way we are going to see more people becoming infected.”
It comes as Covid-19 infections in the UK have risen for the first time in two months, new data has revealed.
The jump is likely caused by increases in cases compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1 and the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A total of 989,800 people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week, up from 953,900 the previous week.
