The Daily Covid cases in Britain were back on the rise today, despite a slight dip yesterday. Hospital admissions are down and death rates remain flat as the epidemic grows more unpredictable.
The Department of Health reported that there have been 46,807 infections over the last 24 hour. That’s a 10% increase from last Thursday and the highest since October 22nd.
After the end of half-term, cases have increased on seven out of eight previous days.
There were also another 199 coronavirus deaths registered today, marking a 2 per cent increase on the toll last week. The latest data from hospitals shows that there were 799 admissions for November 14, a drop of 9 percentage points in one week.
After Britain’s most extensive symptom-tracking research, the numbers of people who have contracted the virus last week dropped by a tenth.
Professor Tim Spector is the King’s College London scientist and director of the study. He said that he felt ‘cautiously optimistic’ There will be no restrictions Christmas.
When Boris Johnson, a Downing Street Press Conference speaker admitted that it was possible to take drastic actions at Christmas, there were fears.
However, the Prime Minister said that there have been waves of infections in Europe which sent countries back to their lockdowns. This is a warning sign for what might happen.
Professor Spector said: ‘In terms of what it means for Christmas, I’m cautiously optimistic for the remainder of the year. It’s becoming clear that children and the school holidays play a key role in the waves of infection.
‘I think it’s safe to say that we can expect to see another rise in the new year after the holidays.’ He still advised Britons to be fully immunized against the disease and get booster shots.
In his speech, he encouraged people to wear face masks even in cramped areas such as the subway. His tone has softened from three weeks back, when he advised ministers to consider Plan B.
Professor Spector relies on the daily reporting of more than 750,000 Britons about their symptoms and whether or not they have tested positive for Covid.
This method relies on participants self-reporting symptoms and does not require them to submit evidence. In the two-week period from November 13 to 13, 40,000 virus tests were performed.
He said at the time: ‘The ZOE data shows the UK could hit 100,000 new cases sooner than expected and with no sign of a Plan B or Plan C.
Scientists at King’s College London estimated that 65,059 people had contracted the virus during the week ending November 13. This is a decrease from the 72,546 who were previously infected. It was 10% lower than the previous week.
The UK government has been putting off any decisions while the hospitals pile up. Now it is time to step in and address this situation. Previous waves of public action have resulted in lower rates than lockdowns.
Johnson earlier this week stated that it was still impossible to exclude some Covid restrictions from being reimposed.
He told a Downing Street press conference: ‘Clearly we cannot rule anything out and the most important thing people can do to prevent further NPIs from being taken is to — non-pharmaceutical interventions that is, further restrictions — get the boosters.’
He said that there were no data points suggesting further restrictions. Researchers fear additional Covid restrictions may need to be taken if there is a new virus that’s more transmittable and can better resist vaccine-triggered immunity.
The Kent ‘Alpha” variant caused a surge in Covid cases last winter, which led to Christmas Day plans being cancelled and another lockdown.
This was even before most of the nation had been immunized against the disease.
After data showing that the virus’s immunity decreases six months after the second dose, ministers gave booster shots to over-50s.
This week, the drive was extended to people over 40. They can now get another shot starting six months after receiving their first dose.
According to official data, more than half (50%) of the older adults have had their top-up jabs. This is compared with 77% for those over 80.
Prof Spector said that officials should continue monitoring the virus over the next five years. There is also the possibility for more restrictions to be placed in the future.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) — which took over from the now defunct Public Health England — will publish its Covid surveillance report later today.
Tomorrow, the Office for National Statistics (OTNS) will publish the surveillance report. This is closely monitored by ministers. It’s considered the standard for monitoring the pandemic.