Most people with cold-like symptoms actually have the Omicron variant of coronavirus, a leading expert has claimed. Professor Tim Spector, epidemiologist and scientist on the Zoe Covid Study app, said he was concerned about the recent rise in infection rates across the UK driven by the BA.2 lineage.
According to Zoe incidence figures, there are currently 258,155 new daily symptomatic cases of Covid in the UK on average. That is a massive increase of 47% from 175,189 reported the previous week.
In terms of prevalence, on average one in 24 people in the UK currently has symptomatic Covid. Scotland reportedly has the most symptomatic infections at one in 21, England is second with one in 25 and Wales is third with one in 33. The app does not have enough data on Northern Ireland for accurate analysis.
Read more: The reasons why Covid infection rates are rising again in Wales
New cases are also rising across all the age groups, with worryingly high increases in the older, more vulnerable age groups who are more likely to require hospital admission. However, in the younger age groups the symptoms predominantly remain mild and cold-like.
The Zoe Covid Study incidence figures are based on reports of new symptomatic cases from around 840,000 weekly contributors and the proportion of newly-symptomatic users who have received positive swab tests. The latest survey figures were based on data from 54,409 recent swab tests done on symptomatic cases in the two weeks up to March 14.
Prof Spector said this current wave "shows no sign of abating" and warned that most of the population seems unaware of the risks and danger of "frequent reinfections".
"Covid cases are now at the highest levels the Zoe Covid Study has ever recorded. Even more concerning is the rise in new cases in people aged over 75. This vulnerable group have had low case numbers for months," he said.
"We will need to wait a few weeks to see the full impact on increased hospitalisation but numbers have already started to rise. The data shows this pandemic is definitely not over yet and is more unpredictable than ever, despite government messages to the contrary and a lack of public health advice.
"The Zoe Covid Study, with its 700,000 strong contributor base, remains the best tool the UK has in detecting and spotting new waves of infections. Although our funding from the UKHSA will stop in just a few weeks, ZOE will continue to track and monitor Covid-19 for the safety and security of the UK."
Wales has seen a steady increase in its coronavirus infection rate since the middle of February. Latest figures show that the country is now recording more than 300 positive cases per 100,000 people based on the seven days up to March 13 - almost double the figure recorded two weeks earlier.
Similarly, the percentage of people testing positive on PCRs and lateral flow tests is also shooting up in Wales, with almost one in three (32.6%) now returning a positive result.
While these figures pale in comparison to the massive boom in infections seen in December 2021 and January 2022 - where the rate peaked at a staggering 2,335.6 cases per 100,000 - any notable rise will come as concern to the Welsh population, many of whom are expecting all restrictions to be eased by the Welsh Government on March 28.
