According to Britain’s biggest symptom-tracking survey, Covid cases in Britain fell nearly five percent last week. This was the largest weekly decline since July.
Scientists at King’s College London estimated that 72,546 people had contracted the virus in the week ending November 5. This is a decrease of 88,592 (18%)
It was the largest drop in July since there had been a 22% fall. Britain may be experiencing a period of natural immunity that has been enhanced by the summer’s high levels of Covid transmission.
According to the study, cases for the under-18s saw the greatest drop after the first week of school, when they fell from around 30,000 to 26,000 each day.
SAGE scientists have said that schools returned to school after half-term, and they believe this will not cause an increase in the number of cases.
Infections were also predicted to have fallen among 35 to 55 year olds, and levelled off in older age groups which are eligible for booster doses. A rise was seen in the number of cases in those in their 20s.
Lead researcher for the study Professor Tim Spector stated that, despite the decrease in the number of cases, the level of hospitalisations and deaths was still high.
A dashboard by the Government shows that there are an average of 165 deaths per day and 938 hospitalisations due to this illness, as compared with 360 and 1,653 in the same period last year.
Prof Spector said that they are also noticing ‘outbreaks of colds’ as we head into winter. He added that it was becoming harder to distinguish between them because vaccines have made it ‘harder than ever before’.
After Britain’s Covid daily cases fell nine times in a row, they have dropped every day but one since October 24. Yesterday’s numbers were down five percent from last Wednesday, with 39,329 reported cases. Weekly, deaths and hospitalizations both fell.
King’s College London researchers estimated last week that Britain’s Covid incidences fell 18 percent, the highest drop since July. Researchers at SAGE suggested that Covid cases will fall because of the immunity to the virus.
This graph illustrates that Covid cases have been falling in both the double-jabbed population and across all age groups. The risk of the virus spreading to others is reduced by vaccinations. However, they can also reduce the chance of severe illness or death.
According to figures, the lowest number of Covid cases among under-18s was seven days after school returned. The 35- to 55-year olds saw the largest drop, while older groups experienced a plateau. The rate of adults in their 20s rose slightly.
Covid cases in England have declined across all regions, according to statistics. The figures also showed that they fell in Wales, while remaining flat in Scotland.
The study — also run by data science company ZOE — relies on daily reports from more than 750,000 Britons on whether they are suffering any symptoms, with those who are unwell asked to test themselves for Covid.
This relies solely on self-reporting, and doesn’t ask for evidence to support the symptoms. In the last fortnight, the virus was also tested in 40,100 cases.
Professor Spector said: ‘As we head into the colder months, we’re seeing a lot of sickness in the population with widespread outbreaks of colds and still high levels of Covid.
“Knowing the differences between them is more difficult than ever because mild cases of the vaccined include symptoms such as sneezing and headaches and may easily spread to relatives and coworkers.
‘To keep numbers down it’s crucial for everyone eligible to get their booster jabs, even if they have recently had a Covid infection, as we’ve shown natural infections do not always produce an immune response and protection.
“We know that vaccines in three doses offer the best protection against the disease and prevent you from being hospitalized with severe symptoms.”
This app estimated the cases for double-vaccinated persons. The app suggested they fell by one tenth last week to 24,766 per day.
Covid cases are common among double-jabbed people. Although vaccination doesn’t always prevent an infection it can reduce the chance by up to 60% compared with those who have not been vaccinated.
The evidence shows that the jabs can reduce the chance of death and serious illness in nearly every instance.
It is being feared that vaccine immunity is decreasing over time. However, people who have had their second shot more than six years ago may now be able to request a booster.
The studyThe app does not consider cases for people who only have one jab, or are not vaccinated. This is because there are very few users that fit this criteria.
According to the report, Wales is currently home to the most severe form of the virus with approximately one-in-47 people being infected.
This was followed by England — where one in 57 are estimated to be infected — and Scotland — where one in 84 have the virus. All regions in England saw an increase in the number of cases.
Yesterday, Department of Health officials stated that deaths, cases and hospitalisations have fallen week-on-week.
There were 214 more deaths than last week and there were 823 Covid admissions. This is a seven percent decrease.
According to official data, Covid cases decreased in all age groups except for the under-4s on November 5, compared with the week before.
The number of cases has also been more than half in the 10-14-year-old range since their first fall, which was the week before half-term began. The infection rate for 10 to 14-year-olds was about 1,900 per 100,000. This has dropped to 800 now.
This comes just as the NHS wait list reaches another record-breaking high of 5.83 million people today, marking the 11th consecutive month at this new height.
NHS England data shows 1.6million more Britons were waiting for elective surgery — such as hip and keen operations — at the end of September compared to the start of the pandemic.
In order to accommodate the infected, hospitals had to cancel thousands more operations due to the Covid-fueled backlog.
Today’s official data showed that the NHS waiting lists for routine treatment in England have reached 5.83million. It is now the 11th consecutive month at a record height. Some 1.6million more Britons were waiting for elective surgery — such as hip and keen operations — at the end of September compared to the start of the pandemic
Today, NHS chiefs warned that the NHS is facing unsustainable pressure due to winter pressures and the increased demand for Covid care from patients in hospital.
However, official statistics show that hospitalisation rates and Covid incidences are decreasing. In England, around 7,000 people were admitted to hospitals on any given day during the past week, as opposed to 12,000 last year.
According to social workers, the “no jab” policy that was introduced for care home work today will only increase hospital pressures, as it has less capacity.
The same mandate will be applied to frontline NHS staff starting in spring. This is likely to increase pressure on the NHS.
Meanwhile, a record number of Britons made 999 calls and waited more than 12 hours at A&E.