COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom (UK) had been falling since July, but the cases have started to rise again in the first few days of September. The number of people infected by now is somewhat greater than 900,00 and the country is now into the next big wave of COVID-19.
The wave of infections is driven by the emergence of new variants. As of now, the BA.2.75 and BA.4.6 variants are two relatively new variants under investigation in the UK. But neither represents more than a few percentages of infections as BA.5 remains the most common variant in the country.
A general view of the Nightingale Covid-19 Surge Hub which is being erected at the Royal Preston Hospital on January 11, 2022 in Preston, United Kingdom.
What Could Have Caused the Surge in COVID-19 Cases?
The number of hospitalized cases in the UK due to COVID-19 has doubled in the past month as the autumn wave begins. Per the UK National Health Service (NHS), there are about 1,129 new patients per day and overall cases are still climbing. Health officials are concerned that they could be seeing a third wave of patients since April.
One of the reasons that experts see why there is a surge of new COVID-19 cases is that schools have started back during the first week in September, Medical Xpress reported.
Moreover, people have been returning from overseas holidays as well. According to a recent ONS analysis, traveling abroad was one of the strongest risk factors for testing positive for the virus.
But perhaps the number one driver behind the recent surge in cases is the waning immunity of the public. The rate of the transmissibility of endemic infections is largely driven by the immunity in the population. Protection or reinfection following COVID-19 vaccination may not last long. Unfortunately, the vaccine has protected people from severe diseases.
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Elderly Refusing Vital Vaccination
The Daily Mirror that the increasing COVID-19 cases in recent weeks also means that the swab testing survey has struggled to keep up. More so, experts are worried that not enough people over 70 years old are getting their autumn COVID-19 booster shots as case rates in this group increase.
The ONS analysis estimates that one in every 40 people over 70 years old had the virus in its latest weekly survey and infections are rising in groups of people over the age of 35. But among all of the age groups, one in 50 in England have COVID, which is a 25% increase from the previous week.
Twindemic: COVID-19 and Cold Flu
NHS cardiologist Dr. Amitava Banerjee, a Professor of Clinical Data Science at University College London (UCL), told Express.co.uk that the country could be facing an autumn wave.
The UK has been distracted by a lot of things in the past weeks, yet there is an ongoing perfect storm brewing of COVID-18 cases rising and the autumn and winter flu coming added to the strained workforce.
Dr. Banarjee warned that the complacency of politicians and people on vaccinations or wearing masks in closed spaces can potentially lead to a new wave. Cold flu often surges during the autumn and winter, which means that vulnerable people need to get the flu vaccine as flu season brings pressure on the NHS.
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