On 4 July 2022 the UK Health Security Agency’s chief executive, Dame Jenny, warned that the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid is expected to rise further. This is following figures released which showed UK Covid cases rising by 32% in a single week. The latest rise of around 500,000 cases of Covid infections are being driven by two new fast-spreading sub-variants of the Omicron variant, called BA.4 and BA.5.
How this will effect Hospitals
In England, almost 9,000 hospital beds were taken up with Covid patients as at the 30 June, a doubling of admissions since the start of the month. Data from the other UK nations is not as up to date but suggests a similar rise in June. Currently in the UK one in thirty people have the virus and this is corresponding with rising hospital admissions. The latest statistics show the number of people infected in the UK has more than doubled since the start of June with around 2.3 million people currently testing positive.
Dame Jenny said:
“It doesn’t look as though that wave has finished yet, so we would anticipate that hospital cases will rise.”
What next?
Dame Jenny said that people in the UK should continue to follow “sensible precautionary advice.” She highlights the importance of handwashing, keeping a distance from others where possible, and wearing a face covering in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas. Lastly, she reiterated that people with Covid symptoms should stay at home.
