Covid cases are continuing to rise in England and Wales, sparking fears of a new wave of infections.
Some 1.1 million people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus in the latest survey, covering the seven days to 17 September in England and the week to 20 September in the other three nations.
This marks a 14% rise from 927,900 in the previous survey, which covered the week to 13/14 September.
It is the first time the UK-wide total has been above one million since late August, bringing an end to a steady fall in UK-wide infections since early July, when the total hit 3.8 million at the peak of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 wave.
Sarah Crofts, ONS deputy director for the Covid-19 infection survey, said it is “too early to identify whether this is the start of a new wave”, but Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of the Zoe Health Study, said on Thursday it is “clear we’re now seeing an autumn wave of Covid-19, combined with increases in hospital admissions”.
Professor Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE Covid study, explained in a recent update on YouTube that one in 37 people now have the virus and the R number up at 1.1. An R number of one means that on average every person who is infected will infect one other person.
He added that infections among all age groups are now “creeping up”, particularly among the over 75s.
Prof Spector warned of a potential new Covid variant, named BQ1.1, which virologists are monitoring, but the BA.5 variant is currently still dominant.
As case numbers are rising across the UK, Prof Spector issued an update on the most common symptoms being logged on the ZOE Covid Study app. Listed are the top 10 symptoms of Covid to be aware of right now.
1. Sore throat
A sore throat is currently the most common Covid symptom on the ZOE Covid app, reported by 68% of users. It typically tends to occur in the early stages of infection and drinking plenty of fluids should help to ease the pain. | Adobe
2. Headache
A headache is often one of the earliest signs of infection and is now much more common than a fever, or loss of taste or smell, with 55% of people reporting this symptom on the ZOE Covid app. A study in Norway also found that people infected with Covid tend to have moderate to severely painful headaches, or feel pulsing or stabbing pains. | gstockstudio - stock.adobe.com
3. Cough (no phlegm)
Widely recognised as one of the ‘classic’ Covid symptoms, a dry cough will typically affect around four in 10 people who test positive, according to the ZOE Covid study. A persistent cough means coughing many times a day, for half a day or more, and it will usually be very dry. | Drazen - stock.adobe.com
4. Blocked nose
A blocked nose is commonly associated with a cold, but it is increasingly being reported as a symptom of Covid, with 51% of ZOE Covid app users saying they suffered from it. Nasal sprays or drops may help to provide some relief. | DimaBerlin - stock.adobe.com