Covid cases in England are 26 times higher than a year ago | Corona Virus

[ad_1]

Coronavirus infections in England are now at 26 times the levels that occurred at this time last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Scientists described the numbers as “realistic”.

And they warned that reopening schools in England this week is likely to lead to a further rise in Covid cases – with more follow-up when students return to universities and colleges. A new wave of infections could, in turn, lead to new social restrictions as winter approaches.

As a result, pressure is mounting on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization to agree to deploy booster vaccines for vulnerable people and expand vaccinations for most 12-15-year-olds. The latest move would bring the United Kingdom into line with the United States and most large European countries and supported by most ministers.

In the week to August 20, the Office for National Statistics estimated that 756,900 people in England contracted Covid-19, which equates to 1 in 70 people, said Simon Clark, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading.

At this time last year, the Office for National Statistics estimated 28,200 people were infected in England. That’s the equivalent of one person out of every 1900 being infected with the Covid-19 virus. This means that community infection is 26 times more common than it was a year ago, when the population was not immune and the country reopened three months ago.”

The fact that deaths and hospitalizations from Covid-19 were a fraction of their August 2020 levels shows the protective power of vaccines – more than 60% of the UK population has received two doses.

“The last time injuries were at their current level in England was late January,” said Kevin McConway, professor emeritus of applied statistics at the Open University. “There were about 2,300 daily admissions to hospital and 1,100 deaths per day at that time. By contrast, the most recent daily figures for England are around 770 hospital admissions and about 80 deaths.”

covid cases stats

However, the high level of cases across the country still worries scientists. “The increasing numbers of community infections continue to translate into increasing numbers of extremely sick patients, and an unnecessarily heavy burden on the NHS,” Clark said. He added that the cool autumn weather, which leads to increased indoor social mixing, is likely to lead to further increases in the coming weeks.

“The end of summer vacation and people returning to work and education, without clear guidance on physical measures to avoid transmission such as wearing masks or social distancing, is also likely to raise infection rates.”

This point was supported yesterday by Mike Tyldesley, a member of the scientific group Epidemic Influenza Modeling (Spi-M) that advises the government. Speaking to Radio Times, he said September would be a key month for Covid-19 surveillance and argued that vaccinating younger age groups could offer protection outside of the classroom.

“Schools are no more dangerous than any other environment where people mingle in close proximity to each other. But this is what happens in schools – when schools come back, parents tend to go back to work and people mingle in other environments. If we have high levels of vaccination across categories younger age, they should provide direct and indirect protection.”

Professor Linda Bauld, a behavioral scientist at the University of Edinburgh, added that sponsorship will also be crucial later in the month when universities return. Universities have to do three things: provide access to quality regular exams; assistance in providing vaccinations to students who did not receive them; and maintaining some form of mitigation to combat the spread of the virus. There are hundreds of student lectures online, but all the tutorials and seminars are face to face. Wearing face coverings and ensuring similar measures are taken may help make college life more manageable this year.”

[ad_2]