Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam predicted a difficult winter lay ahead in the UK as Covid cases will remain worryingly high and vaccine efficacy is expect to wane.
But – amid the ongoing concern about high transmission rates and the government’s refusal to introduce stricter measures – there are some snippets of good news.
1. Slight fall in infections
According to Reuters news agency, the number of new infections in the UK has dropped by more than 9,500 over the past three weeks.
An average of 33,797 cases are now being reported per day.
Yet, it’s important to note that the UK still had the third highest number of Covid cases in the last seven days out of all the countries in the world, beaten only by the US and Russia – so there’s still a long way to go before we’re out of the woods.
2. 44% of previously vaccine-hesitant adults have taken up the jab
ONS data from the beginning of September showed that 44% of vaccine-hesitant adults were now vaccinated.
The largest increase happened in adults aged between 18 and 29, with 46% of those who were previously uncertain having now agreed to get vaccinated.
However, this does mean 55% of the previously vaccine-hesitant people over 18 are still reluctant to get jabbed – a number which could influence the UK’s overall Covid infection rate.
The ONS data also shows that among the people who deliberately rejected a vaccine before, 78% remain unvaccinated.
3. Lower hospital admissions
Although Covid infection rates remain relatively high, hospital admissions are down, presumably because the vaccine has reduced the severity of the disease in most cases.
The second Covid wave, which took off around September 2020, saw hospitalisations climb to almost 40,000 patients at its peak.
Although hospital admissions are gradually creeping upwards during this third wave, they have not yet exceeded 10,000 – showing a clear improvement compared to this time last year.
It makes sense that Covid deaths are down, too, compared to both the first and second waves of the virus.
4. New antiviral drug to be available
A new antiviral drug to lessen the symptoms of Covid will soon be available. It’s set to cut hospital admissions and deaths in half.
As a pill, rather than an injection or IV drip, it can be also be administered outside of hospitals easing the strain on the NHS
Molnupiravir or Lagevrio, as the drug is known, has been hailed as a “gamechanger” for the country by health secretary Sajid Javid.
The trial for the antiviral drug is set to start in the UK in November or the beginning of December.