Brits are being warned to brace for yet another tough winter as Covid cases have spiked 14 per cent in a week, according to the latest data.
Cases increased by 1,472 as the weather turns colder in the week leading up to September 23, but deaths with Covid on the death certificate have fallen. London has often been a hub for infections throughout the pandemic, but the latest data for cases shows a number of hotspots springing up around the country.
Areas worst hit by rising Covid rates include the west midlands, north west, north east and parts of southern Scotland. This comes after a new highly mutated variant appeared in the UK in August, leading to the Autumn booster programme being rushed forward three weeks, reports The Mirror.
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The Pirola variant, also known as BA.2.86, caused concern as it was already transmitting within the community, but the UKHSA have also highlighted the dangers of flu this winter.
The east of England and south west have amongst the lowest case rates but have small pockets of rising cases especially around East Hampshire, Gosport and Havant. Wales also has amongst the lowest cases, and only recently recorded its first confirmed Pirola case.
This comes as the number of confirmed Pirola sequences in the UK continues to rise, cementing the British Isles as the heart of the known global outbreak of the subvariant. There are 89 confirmed sequences of BA.2.86 in the UK, more than double the next most prevalent country.
Pirola is currently known to be present in 24 countries, but likely far more widespread given the lack of sequencing and testing in many nations for Covid subvariants. See the interactive map for your area below.
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