The number of hospital patients with Covid is rising, with early signs of an increase in intensive care unit admissions among older age groups. Some 9,389 patients in England had Covid as of July 1, a 39 percent increase on the previous week, government figures show.
This is just over half the level of patients recorded in the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave, and around six in 10 hospital patients who test positive for Covid are primarily being treated for something else.
Prof Dennis Kinane, professor of immunology at the University of Bern and founding scientist of Cignpost Diagnostic, told The Telegraph that many people had “let their guard down” about Covid.
“When we’re in crowds, we have to be careful,” he said. “Ideally, we should be vaccinated and we should keep our distance in closed spaces.
“One of the biggest things we have to do is when we know we have Covid is to isolate ourselves and not mix with people or wear masks.
“There are a lot of people letting their guard down right now. We don’t want to wander into a perfect storm here. We currently have five per cent rates in Scotland – that’s an awful lot.
Figures released on Friday also showed that Covid was the biggest killer in England and Wales last year, claiming 67,350 lives. The virus accounted for around one in nine of the 586,334 deaths recorded last year, ONS figures show. Dementia is the second leading cause of death (61,250), followed by heart disease (56,960).
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