The number of Britons catching Covid every day rose almost 30 per cent last week, amid fears a fourth wave of infections is just around the corner.
King’s College London scientists estimated 58,126 people were getting infected every day in the week ending September 25, up 28.9 per cent from the previous seven day spell.
Cases have soared in children ever since millions of youngsters returned to classrooms following the summer holidays. But now, infections appear to be spilling over into their parents, a trend has revealed earlier this week.
Professor Tim Spector, who leads the study, said cases were now being passed up the ‘generational ladder’. He warned families to be careful at this ‘critical time’ because a ‘little caution’ could stop hospitals being overrun in the face of another surge this winter.
It came as separate Test and Trace figures today showed England’s infections rose 18 per cent in the latest week. There were more than 190.000 positive test results recorded in the week to September 22, they said.
And Public Health England’s weekly surveillance report revealed Covid cases rose in eight in ten local authorities across England last week.
Despite a raft of data showing Britain’s coronavirus outbreak is still growing, the number of people testing positive shrunk today for the first time in nearly a fortnight. Department of Health statistics showed another 36,480 cases were recorded, down 0.6 per cent compared to the same time last week. They had risen week-on-week for the previous 12 days.
Estimates from the Covid symptom study app — also run by health data science company ZOE — suggested Covid cases rose in all four UK nations last week compared to the previous seven-day spell.
Wales was predicted to have seen the sharpest rise in infections, up 33 per cent in a week to 4,185 cases a day, followed by England (up 29 per cent to 46,275), and Northern Ireland (up 28 per cent to 1,999).
Scotland was predicted to have seen its cases rise by five per cent in the latest week, with 4,185 residents thought to be catching the virus every day.
Professor Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London, said: ‘While the latest ZOE data shows new cases are up on last week, it’s encouraging to see national hospitalisation rates falling as we approach winter.
‘While most cases are still in the young, we’re seeing infections being passed up the generational ladder, likely from school children to their parents.
‘Most of these new adult infections are in the under 50s, who still have a relatively low risk of being admitted to hospital, especially if they’ve been fully vaccinated.
‘As the winter approaches, it’s important parents of school-aged children and students don’t pass the virus on to more vulnerable grandparents by not recognising simple cold-like symptoms as a possible Covid infection.
‘This is a critical time and a little caution could make all the difference in avoiding a winter crisis for hospitals.’
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