Why is the government saying nothing about the rise of new Covid variants? - Jayne Dowle
Why is the government saying nothing about the rise of new Covid variants, especially as the latest data reveals the virus is showing “increasing activity”?
There’s no need for panic. No-one wants to return to the days of mandatory mask-wearing, support bubbles and keeping two metres apart from others in public. No-one wants to be reminded of the heartbreak, the families torn asunder, the businesses and communities which had the lifeblood ripped out of them.
But there certainly should be some acknowledgement that coronavirus still stalks amongst us, and we all need to be on our guard. At the very least, a public health campaign. The government would be failing in its duty to serve us, if, scarred by past experience, it simply hopes the whole thing will quietly go away.
It’s not going away. I’ve spent a lot of time googling ‘Covid symptoms’ recently. At first, I dismissed my scratchy throat and hoarse voice as due to talking more than usual, and being out and about a lot in September.
Then, about two weeks after these annoying, but not life-impacting, symptoms appeared, one afternoon last week I suddenly felt as if I’d been hit by a truck. My temperature rocketed, there were also chills and shivers, I started coughing so much it hurt to breathe, and felt absolutely, bone-crushingly exhausted. It was all I could do to crawl to bed and stay there for three days.
It’s taken a week to feel anything like normal again. I’ve lost my appetite and I’m still struggling to breathe if I walk around for too long. I’m not one of life’s malingerers, and usually fortunate to enjoy good health. But as I battled the temperature spikes and racking coughing fits, it began to dawn on me – had I contracted one of the latest strains of Covid?
Not wishing to risk anything, I laid low and isolated myself, particularly concerned about my elderly father, who won’t receive his Covid vaccine booster until November, to wait it out.
I’m kicking myself now for not sending someone to fetch a Covid test from the pharmacy, but I shall certainly be stocking up for winter.
For although we are certainly far from another terrifying pandemic, we can’t ignore the fact that weekly recorded Covid cases in the UK (to October 1) rose by 19 per cent, that’s up by 486 to 3,049 in seven days, according to the latest data from UKHSA (UK Health and Security Agency).
Hospital admissions for Covid have also climbed, by 9.7 per cent, to 2,077 during the same period.
Two new Covid strains are thought to be behind the surge, with Stratus and Nimbus now the most dominant variants in the UK; a hoarse voice and/or scratchy ‘razor-blade’ throat are believed to be two key symptoms.
“The first weekly surveillance report of the 2025/26 season shows that both flu and Covid-19 positivity continue to increase, so everyone eligible for vaccination should take it up now to ensure optimal protection,” says Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA.
Free vaccinations or boosters are available for people aged 75 or over (including those who will be 75 by the end of January 2026) are aged six months to 74 years and have a weakened immune system because of a health condition or treatment, or live in a care home for older adults.
What about the rest of us? I’m not saying vaccination is the answer for everyone – there are many critics and concerns about long-term health effects – but that leaves most of the population high and dry, unless they’re prepared to pay for a private appointment, costing around £99.
There are preventative measures we can all take to stop the spread of any respiratory virus, but too many people simply aren’t aware of the symptoms. And sadly, too many also presume that taking preventative measures doesn’t apply to them.
However, if more people contract Covid as the autumn turns to winter, this is going to put even more strain on the NHS as GP surgeries and 111 become overwhelmed with those seeking help and hospital A&Es crack under the strain.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting should act now, rather than leaving it too late. It’s reported this week that hospital wards in Shropshire and Lancashire are already closed due to coronavirus outbreaks. If this is just the tip of the iceberg, no responsible government minister can afford to ignore it.
Yet, ‘Covid’ has become a dirty word in government. As the independent UK Covid-19 Inquiry rumbles on, exposing more failings in the way the government, under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, handled the pandemic, our current leaders should not allow the residual trauma to blind them to dealing with present challenges.