New Covid wave warning as cases in hospital patients soar by 31% in a fortnight
The number of hospital patients with respiratory symptoms testing positive for the virus has increased from 5.8 per cent on 26 July to 7.6 per cent on 10 August, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). That marks an increase of 31 per cent in just 15 days.
This percentage is known as the positivity rate and it is much higher among hospital patients with symptoms than the general public.
The rise in cases in hospitals could be an indication the country is facing a new wave of infections, with epidemiologists suggesting soaring cases could be a cause for concern.
'This rise in cases reinforces the fact that the virus is still circulating and is capable of spreading,' Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University told The Independent.
He added: 'A particular concern is the impact on infection levels as people return to work and school after the holiday season and the effect of cooler weather. This coupled with new virus variants and restricted access to free vaccines over the Autumn period is worrying.'
But experts stress it is difficult to get an accurate picture as people no longer routinely test for the virus.
Infectious disease expert Professor Paul Hunter, at University of East Anglia, explained that infection numbers have been drifting up and down for most of the year and he expects cases to rise as we approach the end of the year.
'We will see further increases but against a continuing declining general trend in hospitalisation and deaths. As to how many infections are occurring in the community. I have no idea as we only really test people in hospitals now,' Professor Hunter told the Independent.
'As to how many infections are occurring in the community, I have no idea as we only really test people in hospital now,' he added.
Although this spike of 7.6 per cent is still lower than it was for most of the pandemic, it's much higher than it was in January when it was 2.2 per cent.
In July last year, cases hit 16.6 per cent and 14.6 per cent in October last year, according to UKHSA data.
The Covid vaccine is usually offered on the NHS in spring and early winter to people who need extra protection from the virus.
But this year almost 13 million fewer people will be offered the booster jab. The Government is no longer offering the jab to pensioners aged 65 to 74, nor are they offering it to pregnant women or people with chronic heart disease or liver disease.
This autumn the vaccine will be offered to adults over 75, residents in care homes for older adults and those who are immunosuppressed over the age of six months.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Doctors thought my partner had stomach issues and gave him Gaviscon - but he was dead less than three weeks later
A heartbroken widow has told how her partner died after doctors dismissed his deadly health condition for stomach issues and sent him home with Gaviscon. David Burgess, from Sale, Greater Manchester, was otherwise healthy until he suddenly experienced 'horrific' pain in his stomach in April. After the 52-year-old's symptoms failed to subside, his partner Sandra O'Hagan, 56, rushed him to hospital the following day believing he could be suffering appendicitis. But she claimed, here doctors discharged him on the same day with a diagnosis of gastritis—inflammation of the stomach lining—and told him to take Gaviscon. It was only after his condition worsened that on May 1, she took the legal recruitment consultant back to Wythenshawe Hospital's A&E department in Manchester. Here, doctors confirmed he had aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition characterised by the tearing of the aortic wall, which can compromise blood flow to vital organs. Tragically, however, despite urgent surgeries, doctors told Ms O'Hagan there was nothing more they could do and it would 'cruel to keep trying'. On May 10, alongside his family, she made the heartbreaking decision to 'turn the machines off'. Ms O'Hagan now believes her partner would have had a significantly better chance of survival, and may even still be alive, if he had been diagnosed correctly on his first visit to A&E. She is currently exploring legal action against the hospital with the firm Enable Law, although investigations are currently ongoing. Ms O'Hagan has also called for more to be done to educate the public and medical professionals on aortic dissection. Figures show 10 lives could be saved per week with the correct diagnosis. Recalling her horrifying ordeal, Ms O'Hagan said: [Mr Burgess] never went to the doctors, and I can't remember him taking a day off work—he was always so committed to working and he was pretty tough.' But after experiencing a 'sharp pain' on April 24, 'he said he'd never felt anything like it before,' she added. 'It was absolutely horrific, just completely out of nowhere.' According to the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, acute aortic dissection can present with a wide range of symptoms, with the most common being the sudden onset of severe pain, typically felt in the chest, back, neck or abdomen, or in a combination of these areas. The following morning she drove him to A&E for testing before going to work. 'But they told him to go home, take Gaviscon, and don't take any painkillers because that would interfere with it and make it worse,' she said. 'Because it's a doctor, you think, "well, that must be right. It can't be that serious, otherwise they'd have picked it up and not sent him home". 'Looking back, you think, "why did we trust them [the doctors]?" But you just do.' Over the following days, she said Mr Burgess was struggling to eat properly and he felt 'drained and had no energy'. After his breathing progressively worsened he returned to A&E on May 1 and tests showed he had a torn aorta—the largest blood vessel in the body, which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body—and he needed to have urgent surgery. She said: 'I couldn't process it, and I couldn't get through to him, and then I'd had a missed call from Wythenshawe A&E as well, but you ring back and you can't get through to anyone. 'I didn't know what was happening, I couldn't speak to David, I couldn't speak to A&E … so I dashed over to A&E after I'd composed myself. 'The surgeon said he had a torn aorta and half the cases where this happens, the people die straight away. 'So for him to still be alive after six days, it was a miracle.' However, he continued to deteriorate and a brain scan later revealed he had suffered several mini strokes. 'On David's final day, his parents, brother, sister-in-law and two nephews were at the hospital visiting,' Ms O'Hagan said. 'We were all taken aside and they said, "He's on maximum medication, he's not getting any better, there's nothing further we can do. It would be cruel to keep trying, really, because we have done everything". 'So we agreed to turn the machines off after his daughter came up to see him.' She said it was only afterwards that she realised the significance of the initial misdiagnosis, and she has submitted a formal complaint to the hospital. While legal investigations are ongoing, Sandra is determined to raise as much awareness as possible to help prevent others from losing their lives to aortic dissection. 'With David, when they sent him away, that was it, that was his only chance. He had to be diagnosed there and then to have the best chance of survival. 'Aortic dissection seems to be flying under the radar … but this awareness is so important and something's got to be done.' Jackie Linehan, Enable Law legal director and Ms O'Hagan's solicitor, who is working with aortic dissection charities, said: 'I am seeing an increasing number of claims where there have been catastrophic consequences from a failure to diagnose and treat aortic dissection in a timely manner. 'This is likely to be, in part, down to greater pressure on the NHS but also, increasingly, as a result of patients and their loved ones having a greater understanding of the condition and that, in a significant percentage of patients, it can be treated successfully if diagnosed in time. 'I hope to help Sandra get some answers about David's care prior to his diagnosis and to support her in her goal to raise awareness of aortic dissection so that others do not need to suffer as she and David have.' A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We offer our sincere condolences to Mr Burgess's family and friends for their loss. 'We have discussed his sad death with Ms O'Hagan, and we are undertaking a review of Mr Burgess's care. We will be sharing findings from that review with both Ms O'Hagan and the coroner. 'We will await the conclusion of the inquest before commenting further.' The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust says 2,000 people a year lose their lives from aortic dissection in the UK.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Role model' Gobowen nurse receives national award
A Shropshire nurse leader described as "a role model in every sense" has been given a national award for her compassionate Roberts, who is a sister on the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, has been awarded a Cavell Star accolades are given to nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers who show exceptional Roberts was nominated by a colleague at the hospital in Gobowen, near Oswestry, after she supported a patient with learning difficulties, who was a high-level tetraplegic after breaking his neck. "Sister Cath is the heart of MCSI," said student nurse associate Sophie Podmore, who nominated said Ms Roberts "consistently goes above and beyond" for patients and staff"."We recently cared for a patient with learning disabilities who built a remarkable bond with Cath," she said."Despite the complexities of his care, she went above and beyond to ensure he understood everything, taking time to explain each step of his care in a way that made him feel secure and heard."She's a role model in every sense."Ms Roberts said the man had no family nearby, and came to the hospital with only the clothes on his back."I got a grant from the League of Friends for him and went shopping," she said."I was so grateful to the League, who gave us a grant of £100. I went to Primark and got absolutely loads of clothes and shoes. He was over the moon."Sophie nominated me for going out of my way for him, but this is what we do for our patients."She said the award was "absolutely awesome", and that she felt "really humbled" to receive it. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
UK health firms ‘misleading' parents with claims over milk teeth ‘treatments'
Companies are making thousands of pounds by misleading parents with claims that collecting stem cells from their children's teeth can be a treatment for diabetes and autism, an investigation has found. Tooth stem cell banking, also known as dental pulp cell banking, involves parents collecting and sending lost milk teeth to a laboratory where stem cells are harvested from the dental pulp. Firms that advertise tooth banking services claim these stem cells can be used in treatments for conditions such as diabetes and autism. The investigation, by Emma Wilkinson and published in the BMJ, found that three companies in the UK offer tooth stem cell banking – BioEden, Future Health Biobank and Stem Protect. The service costs about £1,900, with a £95 annual storage fee. On its website, Future Health Biobank says it has released 26 tooth stem cell samples for treatment, including for autism, type 1 diabetes and knee cartilage regeneration. Stem Protect states on its website that tooth stem cells can be used for cleft palate repair and HIV/Aids among other conditions, and says 'medical trials into autism and cerebral palsy involve the pulp found inside teeth and offer hope for hundreds of conditions'. BioEden's website claimed stem cell therapy had been described as the 'next frontier' for treating both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and that the company had 'already witnessed the remarkable evidence of these ongoing developments' among its customers. However, experts have expressed doubts about the medical value of tooth stem cell banking. 'There is a lack of evidence and a paucity of research using dental pulp stem cells to treat patients,' said Jill Shepherd, a senior lecturer in stem cell biology at the University of Kent. 'There's no evidence to suggest stem cells stored from a child's milk tooth would ever be needed to treat that child.' Sufyan Hussain, an investigator on the UK arm of a global clinical trial evaluating stem cell therapy, said there was not a definitive answer regarding the 'optimal source of stem cells for future diabetes therapies'. 'This highlights how emotive this matter can be, as parents naturally want the best possible outcomes for their children,' Hussain said. 'While we remain hopeful about future treatments, there is also a risk that companies might exploit these hopes to generate additional revenue.' Tim Nicholls, assistant director of policy, research and strategy at the National Autistic Society in the UK, said it was 'outrageous' that tooth stem cell procedures are being advertised to parents with the claim of 'treating' autism. He added: 'Autism is not a disease or illness; it cannot be treated and there is no cure. It is dangerous and morally bankrupt to target potentially vulnerable people with expensive procedures that could, in fact, cause harm.' In response to the BMJ article, Future Health Biobank said it was looking at how information on its site is presented in order to ensure 'readers can clearly distinguish between client experiences and formally published clinical outcomes'. A spokesperson for Stem Protect said: 'We have made no unfounded claims, and our website has been reviewed and approved by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). We remain committed to ensuring stem cell banking is presented as a valuable resource, backed by evidence and transparency.'
