Experts say CHRISTMAS is at high risk if people do not get their Covid booster jabs.
A respected study has shown that cases are rising again. However, many people will not be aware they are infected as the disease is often masked by symptoms like colds.
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According to the ZOE COVID Survey, 76,728 people in the UK are experiencing symptomatic Covid each day. This is 18% more than the 65,059 who were diagnosed last week.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the study, says it’s “far too high”It’s “up to us to save Christmas”.
He said: “Seeing cases on the rise again is really disheartening and the recent ups and downs, unlike previous waves, is making it hard to predict where things will be from week-to-week.
“However, for me, the message is that cases are still far too high. Although we appear, for now, to be faring better than some European countries in terms of case numbers, the UK continues to have relatively high hospital admissions and deaths, which is a real cause for concern.
“While the government is unlikely to enforce restrictions for Christmas, family gatherings will undoubtedly increase risk, especially for older and more vulnerable family members who haven’t yet had their third vaccine dose.
“Saving Christmas is up to us. Those of us eligible for the third jab should take it now.”
This comes after the Government had warned that people who are eligible for a booster will have to wait two weeks before they can receive it. If they want complete protection by Christmas Day, then this is the right time.
December 11th is the final day to get a dose increase and receive over 90% protection against illness or hospitalisation.
Situation of an outbreak
The ZOE study also found that the R-rate is greater than 1 in all other countries, except Scotland. This indicates that the outbreak is on the rise.
The prevalence of symptomatic Covid is currently 1 in 66 UK residents. This excludes people who are not afflicted.
The epidemic is mainly being driven by young people under 17 years of age, with 31,000 new cases each day.
Prof Spector warns that adults are not immune.
The 35-55 age group is experiencing a surge in cases, but older patients are more stable due to booster doses.
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According to government data, the number of positive Covid cases has increased by 11% in just one week. Despite fluctuations in the severity of the epidemic since July, cases have remained stable but not high over time.
In comparison to the week before, 11.6 per cent less people were admitted to hospitals in the past seven day (5,703).
Prof Spector said that everyone should be cognizant of that “one in four people with cold-like symptoms have Covid-19”.
Experts say that people report more symptoms of a virus-related illness, such as a runny nose and headache, since vaccination is now common.
Covid’s first appearance was marked by a decrease in the frequency of persistent coughs, loss of taste or smell, and high temperatures.
Prof Spector suggested if cases remain stable over the Christmas period, they will likely spike again in the New Year.
Sky News was told by him: “It looks like it’s going to stay fairly flat – hopefully not get worse before Christmas – after that I think it will get worse again.”
The professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London said “now was not the time to portray the UK as a success story”.
It comes after a minister suggested that the UK could become the first country worldwide to use vaccines against Covid.
LBC Radio’s Nadhim Zhawi interviewed the ex-vaccine minister this week “We will probably, I hope, without being complacent, be the first major economy in the world to demonstrate how you transition (from) pandemic to endemic using vaccines.”
As the Christmas season approaches, a number of European countries have placed lockdowns on their citizens due to concerns about Covid spikes.
Some countries only restrict freedoms for the unvaccinated such as access to shops and restaurants.
Austria and Germany are also considering mandatory vaccines to help manage the crisis.
However, the UK is unlikely to become a major outbreak before Christmas due to the introduction of boosters for those over 40 and teens.
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister, stated that the UK is still a good choice. “cannot be complacent”.
Vaccine rates are considerably better than many of the European’s countries that are in despair.
For example, shocking figures show as little as 26 per cent of people have had one vaccine dose in Bulgaria compared with the UK’s 88 per cent. Also, the number of cases is twice as high for each person.
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