Cases of Covid-19 are increasing across the UK, with specialists warning that we have entered a new wave.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Covid-19 case rates and positive rates have increased in England since late July.
Based on government data, there were 8,961 confirmed cases in the seven days preceding September 2, amounting to 15.8 cases per 100,000 individuals in the country.
There were an extra 298 cases in Wales, equating to 9.4 cases per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, there were 1,561 confirmed cases in Scotland, translating to 28.6 cases per 100,000 persons.
Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician at University College London and a member of the Independent SAGE group, stated that she is “reasonably certain” that the world has entered another Covid-19 wave.
She also expressed concern that the country could be slammed by a repetition of last winter’s flu, Covid, and respiratory virus triple punch, putting further strain on the NHS.
The Eris mutation now accounts for one in every seven Covid-19 infections, while the number of patients infected with the virus increased from 3.3 per 100,000 to 7.2 in less than a month.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Eris a variety of concern and has asked countries to keep an eye on it as instances increase globally.
View the UK’s interactive map for COVID-19 hotspot areas here.