Scientists have warned people could face being infected with Covid several times a year after four peaks in the Omicron variant within seven months
Caption: PICTURE POSED BY MODEL File photo dated 08/01/22 of a person simulating taking a Covid 19 lateral flow test. One in every 20 people who catch Covid-19 have long-term smell or taste problems as a result, according to a new study. This could mean that millions of people around the world may have suffered smell and taste issues for at least six months following a Covid-19 infection. Issue date: Thursday July 28, 2022. PA Photo.
However, since the first Omicron wave saw official government figures reach an all-time high of more than 1 million cases a week in late December 2021, there have been three subsequent Omicron peaks within just seven months. Western Australia chief health officer Andy Robertson said “BA.4 and BA.5 are making up an increasing percentage of our cases, rising to more than 60 per cent of cases in the last week.
“Omicron seems to have a greater ability to evade immunity from vaccination and previous infection. This is leading to more people getting reinfections and sometimes quite a short gap between infections.”The original Omicron variant, BA. 1, lasted around a month and a half before it was overtaken by the second Omicron variant, BA. 2 in the UK which has now been overtaken by a new variant, BA. 5. In contrast, Delta was the dominant variant in England for more than 200 days.
As Covid has developed the age distribution of cases has also changed considerably, those over the age of 60 now account for the largest share of Covid-19 infections in England, for the first time since the original variant in early 2020. In part, Covid waves are also getting shorter because, despite Omicron’s immunity-busting ability, immunity is continuing to rise in the UK both through infection and vaccination. This means that new variants are suppressed in a way that earlier ones weren’t.
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