New Covid cases may have tumbled in the past fortnight, but a new variant means we are likely to see infections soar over the next month, experts warn 🔎 Here's what you need to know, explained by BawdenTom
This is expected to lead to a wave of infections that is greater than that seen in the autumn – where cases peaked at around 250,000 infections a day – but well short of theThe increase in cases means that the number of serious infections and hospitalisations are also likely to increase, experts say.
Professor Paul Hunter, of University of East Anglia, points out that in the US the new variant grew from representing about 2 per cent of Covid cases at the start of December to 43 per cent on Christmas Day – when it was starting to take hold in the UK, representing about 2 per cent of cases there. “So do I think XBB.1.5 will cause a surge of infections in the UK? Almost certainly. Will it be higher than what we have seen this autumn? Probably.
“As such, it could push case numbers higher over the coming weeks in the UK. That said, it remains questionable that XBB.1.5 will cause a massive wave on its own and it is most unlikely to cause the “deadliest wave of the pandemic” that some are predicting.” “This mutation also increases the variant’s infectivity – it interacts more strongly with the ACE2 receptor [Covid entry point to the cell] and thereby gets into cells more easily.
Simon Williams, of Swansea University, added: “The UKHSA has recommended wearing masks when unwell. This makes good sense, although since it is difficult to tell, without testing, whether symptoms are Covid, flu or a cold, ideally people should try to reduce their contacts when unwell.
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