UK records record number of Covid-19 cases

The number of people infected with covid-19 in the United Kingdom reached another record, according to estimates published on Friday, the day the government ended free tests as part of its strategy against the pandemic.

Based on a representative sample of the population, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates that 4.9 million people were infected with the coronavirus last week, compared to 4.3 million in the first week of the year, the previous record. in a country of 67 million inhabitants.

There were some 700,000 more infected people than the previous week, according to this study, considered more reliable than daily statistics, which depend on people being willing to take tests and communicate the results to the authorities.

The ONS estimates that one in 13 people in England had the virus. The proportion rises to 1 in 12 in Scotland, 1 in 14 in Wales and 1 in 15 in Northern Ireland.

Hospital admissions have also increased compared to the previous week, especially among those over 45 years of age.

The current wave is attributed to the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron, much more contagious than the previous one.

The United Kingdom is among the European countries that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) lifted their restrictions against the spread of the virus “too abruptly”.

But unlike previous waves, the authorities take no action and the outbreak unfolds in relative public indifference as the war in Ukraine and soaring prices dominate the news.

From Friday, with some exceptions, the British must pay for diagnostic tests, which previously could be obtained free of charge at pharmacies or health services.

The United Kingdom, one of the countries hardest hit by covid-19, has recorded more than 165,300 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic two years ago.