Another Covid variant is taking off in Britain, but this time even so-called experts are insisting there’s no need to panic, as it shows no sign of being more dangerous than the other circulating strains. The Mail has the story.
U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses have raised the alarm about Eris, saying it already makes up one in seven new cases after reaching the U.K. towards the end of May.
Hospitalisation rates are also starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the nation may be on the brink of being hit by a fresh wave.
However, experts today claimed it shows no sign of being more dangerous than the other strains circulating, including its ancestor Omicron.
Officials also say they are “closely” monitoring the spread of the virus.
Experts have speculated that the ‘Barbenheimer effect’ – referring to the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer – might have contributed to the rise in infections, as well as the recent bad weather and waning immunity.
UKHSA analysts estimate Covid positivity rates increased to 5.4% with 17 outbreaks confirmed, on the previous week, which itself saw a rise of 3.7%. Leading experts fear the outbreak will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as part of the virus’s natural cycle.
Leading experts fear the outbreak will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as part of the virus’s natural cycle. But officials say they are “closely” monitoring the spread of the virus. The U.K. however is no longer publishing daily infection numbers because so few tests are being carried out after the pandemic.
Dr. Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline: “Covid will continue to change and adapt.
“So we shouldn’t be shocked or worried just because new variants appear and cause increasing numbers of infections.
“The protection against serious illness provided by vaccination is still holding up well and while numbers of infections go up and down, hospitalisations and deaths remain reassuringly low.”
He added: “There’s no reason to be complacent.
“But unless people are again admitted to hospital in large numbers and struggling to breathe, people should live their lives as normal.”
Professor Paul Hunter, a respected infectious disease specialist, said it was too early to say how Eris, scientifically known as EG.5.1, will affect Britain.
UKHSA chiefs claim the variant already has a 20.5% growth advantage on other strains.
Data also suggests it accounts for 14.6% of cases, making it the second most prevalent in the U.K.
Growth rates were based on positive testing samples conducted in hospitals.
The Omicron spin-off Arcturus – named XBB.1.16 – meanwhile was the most dominant variant, causing 39.4% of all cases, according to the UKHSA data.
Professor Hunter said that EG.5.1 was “likely to become dominant at some point and push up total infections but probably not that dramatically”.
He added: “One of the characteristics of immunity to new variants is immunity to infection is reduced but immunity to severe disease remains strong.
“Unlike earlier in the pandemic, when the main driver of such waves was new escape variants, the main driver now is probably loss of immunity.
“But some impact from the holiday period may be there as well.
“Since Omicron appeared, travel and especially international travel became an important risk factor.”
Meanwhile, UKHSA epidemiologist Meaghan Kall yesterday tweeted: “In the past variants with similar growth advantage have not resulted in new waves.
“However, UKHSA will closely analyse countries with high EG.5.1 prevalence and laboratory neutralisation data.
“Growth estimates are likely to improve over the coming weeks.”
Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: “We’ve not seen big waves in variants with growth advantage of around 20%.”
The UKHSA yesterday declared EG.5.1 a new Covid variant, after it was first raised as a concern at the beginning of July.
World Health Organisation (WHO) chiefs also added EG.5.1 to the list of Omicron variants under monitoring in July.
Globally, Eris – known in Greek mythology as the goddess of strife and discord – already accounts for around 20% of Covid sequences in Asia, 10% of sequences from Europe and 7% in North America.
Japan has been hit by a spike in Covid infections in recent weeks, with experts predicting the trend will continue amid high heat, declining population-level immunity and the start of the holiday season.
UKHSA data also shows the Covid weekly hospital admission rate increased to 1.97 per 100,000, as of July 30th – rising from the 1.47 per 100,000 recorded in the previous week. The South West recorded the largest number of admissions for the virus, while those aged over 85 were the age group with the highest rate.
The Omicron spin-off Arcturus – named XBB.1.16 – was the most dominant variant, causing 39.4% of all cases, according to the UKHSA data. It also had a growth advantage of 41.8%. But the Government health body yesterday declared the Omicron variant EG.5.1. a new Covid variant, after it was first raised as a signal in monitoring at the beginning of July. UKHSA data shows the variant was already the second largest in the U.K., accounting for 14.6% of cases. It also had a 20.5% growth advantage.
It comes as experts last month warned a spike in Covid cases may happen following the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
The films, which earned the combined name Barbenheimer as they both opened on July 21st, have captivated audiences and social media users, despite being wildly different.
In the U.S., Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, tweeted: “Not to be a Debbie Downer… but anyone worried about a post-Barbie box office Covid bump? Or post-Oppie?’
Other experts today said the theory may have some merit.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, told MailOnline that “increased cinema attendance” as well as “more indoor mixing” due to bad weather may have contributed towards a rise in cases.
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Beggars bloody belief. ‘Virology’ about as much of a science as reading chicken entrails.
-Scariant from what?
-How is it identified?
-What test are these morons using to identify the scariant?
-Why is this test accurate?
-How does it flitter from host to host?
-Provide proof that it is transmitted by air (replicable proof)
-Prove that watching a fracking movie in a theatre transmits anything
-Where is it isolated?
-How is it different than a cold or flu?
-Why would quackcines taken 2 years ago be ‘effective’?
-What proof do these idiots have for any of their claims about cases or illness?
Honestly, just f-off with the horseshit fake $cience and fake medicine.
Is anyone still listening to this nonsense?
Yup – the sheeple will lap it up and continue to be scared.
Those of us who have a functional brain and immune system couldn’t give a rat’s arse what you want to call any lurgy that’s circulating at any given time. Only a total saddo would pay further heed to this nonsense.😴
Then there’s those who are totally dysfunctional upstairs;
https://twitter.com/k67046015/status/1687402577208455168/photo/1
Addendum. The difference between me and Simon Goddeck is that I have literally zero sympathy for these cultish wassocks!
https://twitter.com/goddeketal/status/1687102308256268288
Who gives a s**t. The chancellor might be interested if it diverts resources, perhaps. There was a story today about spending more on private healthcare to reduce NHS waiting times. That said, notwithstanding the other scaremonger output about the weather, here we have had a cloudy, wet July (thus a reduced amount of UV-B), which might have had an effect on our ability to manufacture our own vitamin D, thus higher than average risk of not being able to deal with various bugs.
I’m more concerned that that many people went to watch Barbie.
As you were the first to mention the ‘B’ word you win the prize.
https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1686842134694121472
Experts have speculated that the ‘Barbenheimer effect’ – referring to the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer – might have contributed to the rise in infections, as well as the recent bad weather and waning immunity.
I’d rather that the ‘Experts’ get back to their day jobs.. Driving taxi’s and cutting hair…
I wouldn’t let any of that scum anywhere near my barnet, and I’d rather walk then be driven by one of them in a taxi. They’d probably kill you anyway.
Go-to scientist Simon Clarke being deployed. Back during the era of Classic COVID, he was a Conservative Councillor but that didn’t seem important enough to mention alongside his contributions.
“Globally, Eris – known in Greek mythology as the goddess of strife and discord”
Aye, aye. Trouble on the way methinks. The DD’s do enjoy these little word games.
So what?
Pfizer releases new scarient to boost weaning ‘vaccine sales’.
Errr…..what, exactly, is the problem?
‘It is therefore arguable that in the case of infections like coronavirus or rhinovirus colds, which are normally quickly self-limited, the best approach would be to relieve the patient’s discomfort and disability and leave their immune system to take care of the virus.’
‘The view from the common cold unit’ D.A.J. Tyrrell’ June 1992
Indeed, and the view from the common sense unit since time immemorial.
If only we had proper herd immunity via recovery from whatever “it” was- 99.9% – none of this could happen.
Instead we’ve got about 80% of the UK population whose immune systems have in varying degrees, been trashed by the jab and they’re the ones keeping the farrago alive.
GVB and others were correct.
Meanwhile the sheep wait with baited breath for the next really really scariant and “The Science” carries on collecting fame and fortune.
COVID exerts suck sperm whales through perspex screens.
No worse than the last variant. So what’s the panic about? Simple answer to the question: if testing was stopped there would be no panic.
If a proper test was used there would be no virus!
Pardon me for being a bit thick, but what has Barbie and Oppenheimer got to do with it? Crowded cinemas?
For the record, I went to see the latter last Sunday and the cinema was largely empty.
Is that the same PCR test that was used last time with 40 cycles? Idiots!
Yawn.
This is so f…ing boring I haven’t even bothered to read the article. When is this nonsense going to stop? Another big fat nothing burger to go with all the other big fat nothing burgers.
Honestly.
Do you think that the UKHSA have read ‘Peter and the Wolf’?