New data suggests that Covid cases have surged by 29 percent in England, compared to last week.
This rise comes as two new variants, Eris and Pirola, are circulating around the UK.
In the seven days leading up to September 8, the latest government data reported a total of 11,668 cases in England – an increase of 29 percent compared to the previous week.
This suggests there are about 20.6 people with the virus for every 100,000 in this area.
Furthermore, Wales has seen 328 cases during this period, while Scotland recorded 1,615 people with Covid.
This works out as 10.3 for every 100,000 people in Wales and 29.5 in Scotland.
While these figures show an increase in cases, it may not reflect the virus’ actual prevalence in the country.
The removal of free testing has seen the number of people taking Covid tests plummet since the height of the pandemic.
You can see how your local area compares by using the interactive map below.
The latest Government data logged on September 3 showed that the majority of the cases in England were caused by the Eris variant.
Eris, also known as EG.5.1, was first classified as a variant by the World Health Organisation on August 9.
The Omicron spin-off has an additional mutation (F456L) in the spike protein which might account for its ability to evade the neutralising antibody response from previous Omicron infections.
Covid Pirola, the variant responsible for a recent localised outbreak in a Norfolk care home, carries 30 additional mutations in its spike protein compared to prior dominant strains.
Despite the emergence of new variants and additional mutations, Bobbi Pritt, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, previously told Express.co.uk the key symptoms “remain the same”.
Therefore, she recommended looking out for these “most common” Covid signs:
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Fatigue.
Pritt noted that the current symptoms can resemble other respiratory illnesses, such as cold and flu, and therefore recommended getting tested.