Britain is being hit by a new wave of Covid – so what do we do now?

There have been three major waves of Covid-19 infections this year. In the week ending 18 June, an estimated 1.7 million people in the UK are thought to have been exposed to an infectious disease. The previous week saw a jump in this. The figures raise a number of important questions about how the nation will fare in the coming months as it battles the disease.

What is driving the latest increase?

The recent jump in Omicron sub-variants is pinned on by most scientists and statisticians. There have been big jumps in cases in Portugal and South Africa due to the two sub-variants.

The waves in these countries did not result in an increase in severe disease. The professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said there were some increases in hospital stays. The rise we are experiencing is not good news but it doesn't look like it will lead to disaster.

The UK vaccine programme has made us a better place now than in 2020 and 2021, according to the associate professor at the school of medicine. The level of Covid was troubling. The government does not have long-term provision for wellbeing.

What plans are being made for autumn, when colder weather will drive people indoors?

Vulnerable younger people, frontline health and social workers, and over the age of 65 are all going to be protected by the government in the autumn. The health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said last week that this might be extended to include all those over 50. At a time when immunity will have waned in a lot of the population, the move will improve protection against Covid-19.

The type of vaccine to be given is not yet decided, with many scientists saying it should be able to provide protection against both the original and recent versions of Covid-19. Moderna has created a vaccine.

James said that Omicron looks to be very fit. The strain we saw from Delta to Omicron is not the one we are seeing now. I don't think we will see a new Omega strain, so it's sensible to keep targeting Omicron.

In the end, how will humanity come to terms with Covid-19 and how long will the process take?

The coronaviruses responsible for Covid-19 are not the first to affect humans. Prof Mark Woolhouse of Edinburgh University believes that one day Covid-19 may reach a relatively safe status in the population, though not in the near future.

There were 1.7 million people with Covid last week.

By the time they get to be adults, they have built up solid immunity against serious disease due to the fact that the virus is circulating quite freely. It will take a long time before we live in a population where most of us have had at least one exposure as a child. It doesn't mean we won't have public health problems for decades. There will be problems on the way.

This isn't going to settle down in my lifetime.