UK daily Covid cases up as 71,259 new infections recorded amid fears of waning immunity

DAILY coronavirus infections in the UK have hit 71,259 today, new data has revealed.

It’s an increase of 56 per cent on last week’s cases, when infections hit 45,656.

PA

Coronavirus cases have risen in the last few days as experts warn of a new hybrid Covid variant[/caption]

Infections have been creeping up and rates are up 83 per cent on this time last month, when 38,933 people per day were testing positive with the bug.

Sadly a further 142 people have lost their lives within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

This is down 26 per cent on last week’s daily deaths and also down 31 per cent on last month’s rate.

Vaccines are the best way to get through the Omicron wave, experts have repeatedly said – and slash the risk of serious illness or hospitalisation in yourself and others.

It comes as a hybrid variant of Delta and Omicron has been confirmed by scientists, an immunity starts to wane in the UK.

Dubbed “Deltacron”, the new strain combines features of both lineages, but it is not known if it’s any more dangerous.

At least 41 patients with Deltacron Covid, first flagged in January, have been identified in the US and Europe. 

A “very small” number of cases have been detected in the UK, health chiefs told The Sun, with more details to be reported in a briefing tomorrow.

In February, the UK Health Security Agency classed the variant as a “signal under investigation”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is “tracking and discussing” the variant’s properties.

It comes as hospitalisations in the UK show an uptick, feared to be driven by waning immunity in the elderly.

It will fuel the Government to get going on its spring booster vaccine programme. Although no date for the rollout has been announced.

Historically, a surge in hospital admissions follows that of cases, which has not been reported on the coronavirus dashboard.

MAJOR INCREASE

But experts say infections are several times higher than the dashboard portrays, after testing has been largely scaled back since the Omicron wave.

The ZOE Covid Symptom Study estimates almost 175,200 people are catching Covid each day – 20 per cent higher in one week.

The figure is more than five times higher than the daily confirmed cases reported each day on the dashboard. 

Professor Tim Spector, co-founder and scientist of ZOE, said: “The ‘official’ UK dashboard rate that continues to provide a misleading picture of the pandemic in the UK and should be scrapped.

“The major increase in new cases across the country and in the elderly is a worry, especially as we now see an uptick in hospitalisations for the first time. 

“This increase was predicted when all restrictions were lifted.

“We are likely to continue to see high infection and prevalence rates of 1 in 30 people for the foreseeable future.”