Covid infection rates are continuing to rise across the UK, with the latest data showing one in 25 people in England are infected with the virus.
Figures show the rise is being driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, with experts warning that the country is already in the midst of its fifth coronavirus wave, the Mirror reports. The two new strains were found in South Africa in January and February this year and are considered to essentially be the grandchildren of the Omicron variant that hit the UK and spread across the world at the end of 2021.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control labelled BA.4 and BA.5 as 'variants of concern' in mid-May, though there has been nothing to suggest any new symptoms with these sub-variants. There is 'currently no evidence' the two variants cause more serious illness than previous variants according to the UKHSA.
