Covid makes a comeback: Experts warn cases are surging again with one in 40 Brits infected

Covid is experiencing another resurgence in Britain, prompting scientists to reiterate their call for the return of face masks.

Hospital admissions for the virus are approaching a three-month high.

And leading experts fear the outbreak, which has left one in 40 in England infected according to surveillance data, will continue to gain momentum in the coming weeks.

GP practices in parts of the country have already started canceling appointments as they have ‘exceptionally low’ staff levels due to the upswing.

Professor Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, called the surge “definitely something to worry about”.

As of March 20, 2023, approximately 136,722 new symptomatic cases of Covid were reported in the UK, according to the ZOE Health Study. The total number of people currently predicted to have Covid in the UK tops 1.5 million, an increase of around 300,000 in just a week

He told MailOnline that the UK was in a “quite serious situation” due to declining vaccine immunity coupled with new variants.

Many bouts of these Covid infections are ‘neither brief nor mild’, added Professor Altmann, who is a member of the infamous Independent SAGE group that lobbied for a ‘zero Covid’ approach.

He said: ‘They have a reduced but significant risk of Long Covid.

“All of this puts a strain on the infected, the workplace, the NHS and therefore the economy.”

“In my opinion, we would continue to think about the extenuating circumstances,” Professor Altmann added.

Examples of such measures are face masks in public spaces and the roll-out of vaccine boosters.

Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist behind the ZOE Covid infection survey, said cold weather – which encourages people to mingle indoors – and children are to blame for the rise.

The next two weeks will see another round of the historic jab drive begin.

The over-75s, residents of care homes, and people five and older with weakened immune systems are eligible for the booster shot — the groups most at risk of serious illness from the virus.

This is because the wall of immunity built from vaccines and countless waves has drastically blunted the virus and turned it into a milder flu-like illness for the vast majority.

The government has insisted it will never return to pandemic-era measures unless a doomsday scenario emerges.

However, some hospitals continue to recommend that patients and staff wear masks in certain areas.

Dr. Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline that ‘ups and downs’ in Covid figures will forever be ‘completely normal’.

“Infection rates don’t necessarily equate to serious illness and only if that number continues to rise will we have a problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist who advised the government on the virus during the pandemic, told MailOnline: ‘We should expect rates to go up and down a bit like any other respiratory infection.

“With the current state of knowledge, the reintroduction of masks is theater rather than practical infection control.

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The latest hospital records show that 1,189 people infected with Covid were admitted to hospitals across England on March 13.

It is the highest recorded since late December and is not far off this winter’s peak of 1,376.

However, current withdrawal levels are nowhere near those seen earlier in the pandemic, when a maximum of 4,134 withdrawals per day was recorded.

And only a third of the 1,189 admissions recorded last week were due to Covid – while the other patients were hospitalized for another condition, such as a broken leg, but also tested positive.

Official surveillance studies have yet to pick up on the rise in Covid levels.

The latest update to the gold standard for infection monitoring from the Office for National Statistics shows that the number of cases has leveled off at 1.3 million.

The chart shows the total number of patients hospitalized with Covid in England each day until March 15

Hospitalizations for the virus have hit a three-month high, despite official data tracking figures suggesting cases have leveled off

An analysis by the Office of National Statistics has calculated how much of each Covid wave has infected the population of England. The last, Omicron BA.4/5, was the largest, infecting 46.3 percent of the population. Individuals may appear twice in the data, for example having contracted Covid once at the start of the pandemic and then again during the Omicron peak

However, the data only extends to March 7 and the statisticians warn that trends remain ‘uncertain’, with a ‘mixed picture’ between regions and age groups in England.

A separate Covid monitoring project, led by health tech company ZOE, has found rates rising for a week.

It predicts nearly 1.5 million people in the UK had symptomatic Covid on Monday – a fifth more than 1.2 million just a week earlier.

Current levels are similar to those seen in mid-January, when cases fell from the winter peak of about 1.7 million, according to ZOE data.

For months, health chiefs have warned of an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to Omicron subvariants Kraken (XBB.1.5) and Orthrus (CH.1.1).

Kraken was the dominant strain in the UK at the end of February, causing 50.4 per cent of cases, according to ONS data, while Orthrus trailed 19.7 per cent.

The latest Covid surveillance data from the UK Health Security Agency showed that cases appear to be highest in older people.

However, confirmed cases depend on people having tests, and old people living in care homes are more likely to have regular Pap smears.

Due to the current outbreak, one GP this week told patients it has ‘exceptionally low numbers’ of doctors due to staff illness and will only offer ‘urgent appointments’.

The practice said: ‘We are currently experiencing high levels of Covid in our clinical team resulting in staff absenteeism and reduced appointment capacity.’

‘On Friday 24 March we have exceptionally few GPs and we only offer emergency appointments.

“If possible, submit repeat prescription requests on another day.”

But dr. Clarke acknowledged that GP surgeries were ‘highly likely’ to be affected by Covid outbreaks given the spread of colds and flu between people.

He told MailOnline: ‘Clusters of infection […] will always happen.

“We all know the spread of colds and flu between people we interact with on a daily basis, when it hits a public service, such as a GP’s office, people are likely to notice.”

The latest Covid wave appears to have peaked at the end of December with 2.5 million infections in England.

This is well below the level of previous outbreaks.

The number of infections rose to 3.7 million last winter during the distribution of the original Omicron variant – but this was surpassed a few months later, when the number reached a record 4.1 million.