Covid: Cases in Sheffield rise to 1 in 40 as ONS data shows BA.4 and BA.5 now the dominant variant UK News

The proportion of people testing positive for Covid in the UK has continued to rise, according to new figures, after the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains became the dominant form of the virus.

In the week of June 18, the ONS estimated that 2.5% of people in England had Covid (one in 40).

This is a similar case in Sheffield, where an estimated 2.38% of the population carried the disease in the week to June 18.

This is an increase from the previous week, when the rate was around 1.85%.

This means that the number of people with the disease has fallen from one in 55 people to one in 40.

Estimates are based on random PCR samples from private households across the UK. It excludes people living in collective dwellings such as nursing homes.

Covid rates have increased in all four countries over the past week. A total of 1.7 million people are estimated to have the virus last week, up from 1.4 million the previous week, an increase of 23%. The previous week there was a 43% increase.

New data released yesterday (June 23) from the Wellcome Sanger Institute shows that BA.4 and BA.5 became the dominant Covid strains in England in the week to June 11.

Of the 953 positive PCR tests successfully analyzed, 547 were found to be either BA.4 or BA.5, or 57% of the total.

The previous week, they accounted for 42% of cases.

BA.4 and BA.5 are sub-variants of the Omicron variant and were designated as “variants of concern” by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) in May.

They have been blamed for a new wave of infections in the UK, with hospital admissions also rising sharply in recent weeks.

In a June 17 statement, Dr Mary Ramsay, director of clinical programs at UKHSA, said: “After a period of low case rates, we are now seeing an increase in outbreaks in care homes and hospitalizations in people aged 80 and over.”