According to official surveillance, more than 2million Britons had Covid right before Christmas. This is because data shows that the highest rates of infection are in those over 65.
Office for National Statistics Weekly Swab of 100,000 People Estimated 2.03million were infected with the virus during the week ending December 23,
It was a 71% increase on the seven previous days and equivalent to 1 in 25 people getting the virus. This was an unprecedented number.
In epicentre London where one out of 15 were infected was the most severe, followed closely by South East England and East of England with one in thirty. One in 45 North East cases had the lowest incidence.
Separate data showed infections are now rising fastest among over-65s — the age group most vulnerable to the virus — where they are now doubling every week.
Experts stated that this will ‘directly feed into’ hospitalisations, and that there would be a spike. The booster drive that has been reached by 90 percent of the older adult population will offer an extra level of protection.
Yesterday, the number of Covid-infected patients in England’s hospitals surpassed 11,000 for only the second time since February. They have risen to 400 in London every day.
Today, a top NHS executive said that new measures were not necessary because Covid cases remain stable. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers said the government’s current position was justified by the fact that there had been no surge in elderly patients admitted to hospital.
According to official figures, England’s population is broken down into five-year groups. The numbers show that cases in England are increasing fastest for those aged 75-79 years.
Infection rates rose by 143% in just one week. They went from 334.9 to 137.9 per 100,000 persons. The 80- to 84 year-olds followed them, with cases increasing 133% between 107.8 and 250.8 cases. And the 70- to 74-years olds saw their cases increase by 13%, from 236.6 to 486, respectively.
Cases are increasing by 128 percent in 7 days for 85-89-year olds (99.8 to 253). For the over-90s, they’re up 106%, 143.4 to 295.4 and 65-69-years-olds are up 103 Percent, 236.6 to 486.
The cases are increasing in almost every age group, except those between 10 and 14 years old. Because of the previously high incidence of infections, scientists believe this age group exhibits high levels of immunity.
Concerns about the escalating incidence of infections among older people raise concerns over whether there will soon be an increase in admissions from these older groups to the NHS.
The latest data from hospitals in England show that there were over 2,000 admissions December 28th, which is the most recent available. This number has been increasing since February.
Ministers are boosting their booster drive, prioritizing older groups in an effort to stop Omicron. Science says the jabs provide additional protection.
Boris Johnson stated earlier this week, however no numbers have been released to support this claim.
Although the Government releases daily statistics on Omicron hospitalisations every day, this data is not broken down according to whether or not people who were admitted received a Covid jab.
Official figures from Officia show that 33 million Britons now have their booster jabs. This is 58.9% of the entire population.
Out of 10.7million over-65s, 9.5million received their booster jabs.
The Times quoted Mr Hopson as saying that, despite increasing numbers and rising rates of illness among older persons, it is significant to have a large number of healthy people around. They are also aware of the possibility that things could change following Christmas.
The ‘Trust CEOs are aware that there is a threshold that must be crossed before the government will impose additional restrictions. They can also see why that threshold has not been reached yet, despite the fact that it hasn’t seen an increase in severely ill seniors.