The latest projections from the Office for National Statistics report a surge in COVID-19 infections again in the United Kingdom with one in every 25 people getting infected. The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron seems to be the predominant variant in the UK.

Scientists are of the view that the high transmissibility of the BA.2 variant along with restriction relaxation and diminishing immunity could be the reasons behind the increasing cases. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the country had successfully controlled the Omicron variant and there was no need to panic and the government would continue to monitor the situation more vigilantly. A world-class surveillance system had been set up, he added. He further stated that some regions had shown a modest rise in infections but the overall cases were low and hospitalization was still low.

The ONS infection survey tested people randomly in households across the UK and observed that older ager groups were showing increasing levels of infection. Around 2.9% pf those aged above 70 years were testing positive. An additional booster dose was being administered to the people aged above 75, care-home residents and children above 12 who were more vulnerable. (BBC, March 11, 2022)