COVID-19 pandemic ‘not over’, UK expert warns

The Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that the pandemic is not over, with the latest data showing that an increasing number of people aged 55 and older have COVID-19.

Dr Jenny Harries referring to the latest React-1 study said that around one in 35 people were infected with the virus between February 8^th and March 1^st, that’s 2.8 percent of the population in England.

The figure is down from 4.41% in the period between January 5^th and 20^th, which was also the second-highest recorded rate of cases since the study started in 2020.

Professor Paul Elliot, Director of Imperial College London’s React programme, said the data shows an “uptick” in hospital admissions.

Dr Harries confirmed the uptick but also said: “These data confirm that cases have declined substantially following the peak of the Omicron wave.

“However, the increasing presence of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron and the recent slight increase in infections in those over 55 show that the pandemic is not over and that we can expect to see COVID circulating at high levels.”

When asked by Sky News whether the BA.2 sublineage of the Omicron variant could lead to a surge in cases, Prof Elliott said it is more transmissible with the data, including the number of hospitalisations, suggesting the numbers needed to be monitored closely.

He said: “At the moment, we’re possibly seeing the beginning of an uptick, but we don’t know where it’s going to go.”

Prof Elliot said the figures could indicate that infections are starting to increase in England, however the study’s authors say that the increasing numbers could be due to the dropping od restrictions, as well as the effectiveness of the booster jabs declining.

Whether the pandemic is indeed over remains to be seen, as Prof Elliott says the numbers will need to be monitored closely as it is too early to tell what direction the virus might take.

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