The sharp decline in Covid cases this month has come as a surprise to experts 🔴 However, they warn that Covid is far from over - with cases still high compared to the start of the pandemic
And it suggests concerns that a new, highly-infectious Omicron subvariant – known asHowever, scientists say the outlook beyond the next few weeks is still unclear and argue that XXB1.5 could still fuel a further spike in the spring.
“This is all part of the long road towards endemicity, but we’re nowhere near that yet – we need to slow the virus down,” he said. “It definitely doesn’t look like XBB.1.5 will cause a wave of its own. The panic over XBB.1.5 was never really warranted. It is one of many largely interchangeable Omicron lineages that are currently in circulation,” he said.
At that point, about 3.5 per cent of the UK population would have Covid – compared with about 5 per cent over Christmas. He expects the biggest peak this year to occur in November – at about 4 per cent – although concedes it is extremely difficult to have much certainty so far in advance. “The recent drop in cases is part of the expected cycle of peaks and troughs seen with infections. This is more the normal pattern. It’s odd that the previous waves didn’t fall as far.”
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