While lockdown feels like a distant memory for some, the UK is still amidst the Covid-19 pandemic - and experts have warned Brits of a sixth resurgence.
Nearly three years after the virus was first reported in Wuhan, cases are beginning to rise in the UK once again.
Recent data from the Covid-19 ZOE app has revealed that there were 120,686 new symptomatic cases of the virus recorded on Saturday, September 10.
Professor Tim Spector from King’s College London spoke on the ZOE YouTube channel on September 8, and explained that the number of new cases stood at around 112,000 - this means one in 44 people in the UK currently has Covid-19.
The current dominant strain of the virus, known as BA.5, is not as deadly as the original variant which spread through the UK in 2020, but it is still a threat to vulnerable people.
As Covid-19 begins to spread, more people will start experiencing symptoms of the virus, which are constantly changing.
Professor Spector explained in the latest ZOE video: “Rates of Covid are starting to increase again with BA5 still the dominant variant.”
He added that similar to previous waves, the rise was beginning with younger people “before it kicks off in the older age groups”.
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The recent data suggests that one in 36 young people had Covid-19 as of early September, and this figure is likely to be reflected in older people as the virus spreads.
According to ZOE, the main symptoms of the virus include:
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Sore throat
-
Headache
-
Blocked nose
-
Cough (with no phlegm)
-
Runny nose
More than 50 percent of patients suffer from sore throats, headaches, blocked nose, and a cough without phlegm, while 48 percent experience a runny nose.
Symptoms of Covid-19 have changed since the virus first spread in 2020.
When the virus first began, common symptoms included losing the sense of smell and a fever.
But today, only 13 percent of patients experience changes to smell, while 14 percent suffer from a fever.
And shortness of breath accounts for just 13 percent of symptoms.
According to the NHS, shortness of breath and change in sense of smell still remain on their list of symptoms to watch out for.
Other symptoms listed include:
- Feeling tired and exhausted
- An aching body
- A headache
- Sore throat
- Blocked or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Feeling sick or being sick
What is the current guidance for Covid-19?
There are currently no restrictions in place if someone tests positive for Covid-19.
However, the NHS recommends trying to stay at home if someone has a high temperature or does not feel well enough to go to work or “do normal activities”.
It adds: “Take extra care to avoid close contact with anyone who is at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 as not everyone has same level of immunity from the virus; this includes those who elderly or immunocompromised."
In response to the higher case numbers, and in preparation for a sixth wave of cases, the government has begun its booster vaccine programme.
Earlier this week, it announced that over-65s, pregnant women, and carers can now come forward for their fourth dose of the vaccinations, including the new bivalent vaccines.
Bivalent vaccines are vaccines which are designed to target not one, but two variants.
In the case of Covid-19, these new vaccines are designed to protect against the original strain which started the pandemic and Omicron BA.1
The hope is that these new bivalent vaccines will protect the most vulnerable from the dominant form BA5 form of Omicron, a relation of BA.1 and prevent thousands of hospitalisations this winter.
