A top expert has warned that the third wave of infections in Britain will continue ‘for longer than expected’ due to England’s Euro 2020 success and the transition to the Indian version in the hotspots of stay.
King’s College London’s Covid Symptom Study estimates that last week there were 25,210 new cases reported in the UK every day, almost a third (31 per cent) up from the previous seven days.
There was a 50 percent increase in the number of people who were partially or fully vaccinated with virus symptoms and tested positive – but in most cases these were mild and similar to a ‘bad cold’. More than 80 percent of the cases were without vaccination.
Separate test and trace data shows a 43 per cent increase in Covid cases last week, with 79,248 people testing positive in the seven days to June 23. There were 55,577 cases in the last week.
Professor Tim Spector, who is leading Britain’s largest COVID surveillance study, warned fans meeting to watch a Euro 2020 football match will almost certainly fuel a surge in infections.
He said rates were also rising in popular holiday hotspots, including Cornwall, Devon, Brighton and Bournemouth, amid a surge of stays due to increased restrictions on international travel.
The top epidemiologist called on Britons to be ‘extra vigilant’ and continue to follow measures to limit the spread of the virus.
“With summer vacations approaching, we need to be extra cautious and avoid unnecessary risks,” he said. ‘Euro 2020 has the potential to spread the virus among thousands of fans, so I think because of these factors we will continue to see higher rates for longer than expected.’
Scottish health officials yesterday linked nearly 2,000 cases to football, two-thirds of whom were among fans who had traveled to London to watch their team’s crunch tie with England.
The country’s cases are doubling every seven days and yesterday public health chiefs recorded 3,887 positive tests, the highest number north of the border since the pandemic began.
There are now growing fears that England’s infection numbers will follow suit, especially after the Three Lions qualified for the final leg of the tournament. But hospitalizations and deaths are still flat, with just one in 100 NHS beds in England compared to one in six at the start of the second wave in December.
The ZOE Covid symptom study uses daily reports from more than a million Britons on whether they feel unwell and have tested positive for Covid to estimate the spread of the virus across the country.
But it relies on participants suffering warning signs of the virus meaning the study misses asymptomatic cases — which trigger no symptoms — thought to make up about a third of all infections.
Those reporting symptoms are also asked to report whether they have been vaccinated, allowing scientists behind the study to monitor infections among those who are jabbed and whether they spark different symptoms.
Professor Tim Spector, a scientist at ZOE, the UK’s largest symptom tracking study, said that matches and stays of Euro 2020 will lead to an increase in Kovid cases
Scientists have feared that Euro 2020 matches could accelerate the spread of Covid in the country after fans were pictured in pubs, bars and alleyways cramming together with regards to social distancing.
UEFA’s medical chief admitted that it ‘cannot be excluded’ that there could be a local increase in COVID cases linked to matches.
“It cannot be completely ruled out that events and gatherings may eventually lead to some local increase in the number of cases,” Dr Daniel Koch, medical advisor for Euro 2020, said on Thursday.
‘But this would apply not only to football matches, but also to any number of situations that have now been permitted as part of the easing measures decided by the competent local authorities.
‘Intensive immunization campaigns that have been launched across Europe and border controls will help ensure no new major waves start in Europe and put pressure on relevant health systems, as was the case during previous infection waves .’
Experts have told MailOnline that gatherings are likely to pick up in the coming days because of football, which will only get worse as the team advances in the competition. The next match is against Ukraine on Saturday.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virus specialist and molecular oncologist at Warwick Medical School, told MailOnline: ‘You can’t help but fill the whole thing with fear that it will lead to an increase in infections. People are just letting their guard down and I think a certain degree of complacency is coming.’
But thanks to a highly successful vaccine rollout, key metrics ministers will be looking at hospitalizations and deaths – which have also remained flat in Scotland as cases continue to skyrocket.
Just 32 people are being hospitalized in Scotland every day, almost double what it was last month, but still less than in previous waves. For comparison, the darkest days of January saw 195 admissions a day.
England football fans celebrated their 2-0 victory against Germany yesterday in pubs, bars and in the street. Scientists have raised concerns that this could accelerate England’s cases further. (Pictured: Three Lions supporters celebrate in Digbeth, Birmingham)
Celebrations where friends embraced each other were pictured across the country. (Above: Three Lions supporters celebrate the victory at Boxpark in Croydon, London)
The graph shows the number of cases reported per day in Scotland (purple bar) as of the date the test was conducted. Experts say it is more reliable because it is not affected by fluctuations in the number of tests that can be processed daily. The graph also shows the daily average for the number of positive tests (green line). Scotland’s cases are currently doubling every six days and are past the peak of the second wave
Scotland’s Covid hospitalizations have remained flat, however, since cases began to rise (daily hospitalizations are the blue bar, and the average is the blue line). Just 32 people are being hospitalized in Scotland every day, almost double what it was last month, but still less than in previous waves. For comparison, the darkest days of January saw 195 admissions a day
There are growing fears that England’s Covid cases could follow the same trajectory as Scotland’s following their 2-0 win against Germany yesterday. The above graph shows cases are already rising in the country (blue bars show the number of new cases a day, and the blue line shows the average)
But, like in Scotland, England’s hospitalisations are also still flat. The country is currently averaging around 200 a day, a slight rise from 186 last week. But this remains far below the peak of the second wave in January, when there were more than 3,500 hospitalisations a day. Vaccine-triggered immunity is keeping hospitalisations low
The scientists behind the ZOE app found infections among Britons who had received one or both doses increased 49 per cent from 4,023 to 5,982 new daily cases in the week to 26 June.
They rose 27 percent from 15,099 to 19,228 new daily cases among non-vaccinated people. The total number of infections was four times higher than for those who got vaccinated.
More than 44.7 million — or 84.9 percent of adults — have received their first dose, and a further 32.8 million — or 62.4 percent — have received both doses.
Professor Tim Spector said they were looking for people who caught Covid after being vaccinated had a mild form of the disease similar to a cold, with sneezing emerging as a new symptom.
“The rate of Covid infection is high, but it is reassuring to see vaccinations that protect vulnerable people and deaths remain very low,” he said.
‘Data from the ZOE Covid study shows symptoms are more mild and similar to a bad cold, with runny nose, headache and sore throat among the top symptoms for all groups. Sneezing has also emerged as a symptom in people who have been partially and fully vaccinated.
The top epidemiologist today called for the list of NHS symptoms to be expanded – including just a temperature, new cough and loss of taste and smell – saying it was missing many infections.
“Cases are dropping and spreading because people are unaware (they have symptoms of the virus), he said.
‘That’s why it’s important that we all recognize cold-like symptoms as possible COVID and get tested. Although COVID does not kill in the numbers it once did, it is still a dangerous and unpredictable disease that can leave people with long lasting symptoms.
Professor Spector has repeatedly called for the list of symptoms to be expanded. SAGE scientist Professor Callum Semple has also urged ministers to expand the list, saying the UK’s narrow definition delays identification of people with the disease and hinders efforts to control its spread. may arise.
The ZOE study data showed that the Covid outbreak is growing fastest in the West Midlands (an 80 per cent increase in a week), the South East (52 per cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber (37 per cent), the app predicted. He said that the North West has the highest daily Covid cases in the country with 4,732 new infections in a day, which is 18 percent in a week.
But differing figures suggest hospitalizations due to the virus are very low, suggesting the NHS is unlikely to be overwhelmed by Covid any time soon.
