UK Covid cases rising among those aged 55 and over

Increased socializing, waning immunity, and a more transmissible version of the Omicron variant are threatening to fuel a resurgence of the virus in older people.

One in 35 people tested positive for infections between February 8 and March 1st, with cases either level or rising in those over the age of 55.

According to the study, the average number of people who pass the virus to is below 1 for people under the age of 54. R was 1.04 for those 55 and over.

Older people are more prone to severe Covid and have had more time for their immunity to decline, as many had their booster vaccines several months ago.

The latest government figures show a steep rise in new recorded UK cases over the past week, with a 42% increase to

The director of the React study said the rise was probably driven by factors including the lifting of all Covid legal restrictions in England on February 24, more mixing between age groups and waning protection from booster shots.

One idea experts are investigating is whether hospitalisation rates are being driven by unshielding people who have been careful for two years in a world where infections are still rife.

The BA.2 form of Omicron is thought to be a relative of the original BA.1. The Imperial researchers found that BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 and that it spreads faster.

Since the first BA.2 cases were discovered in December, it has gained ground and now accounts for half of all Omicron cases in England. It is not clear how large a wave of infections and hospitalisations will be.

Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the government, said that more vaccine will be needed when over-75s are offered a fourth shot.

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said it was impossible to make a sensible prediction about the size of any BA.2 wave.

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College, who is not on the React-1 study, said the recent rise was foreseeable.

He said a lack of measures such as mask-wearing and testing potentially left only the option of a wider push for fourth shots, beyond the over-75s, but cautioned that very regular boosters may not be sustainable long-term.

The rise in cases and hospitalisations should remind people that the flu is not over.