Cases of coronavirus have been rising for several weeks, with the Office for National Statistics’ most recent estimates suggesting that 1 in 260 people in England have coronavirus. When restrictions are lifted further the number of cases will continue to rise, with models predicting that this coronavirus wave may peak with around 100,000 new infections each day. If this were to happen, it would be the highest number of infections each day that we have seen in the pandemic.
It’s important to understand that if coronavirus cases rise higher than they have previously, people who are not yet immune may be more at risk of catching it during the peak of this third wave of infections than they have been during the pandemic to date. It is also important to remember that, despite the vaccines offering excellent protection for most people, those who have been vaccinated may still catch and become ill with coronavirus. The chances of serious illness are enormously reduced, thankfully. However, the risk of developing so-called ‘long Covid’ remains, even if someone does not become seriously ill with the virus itself.
What does this mean for us all as individuals and the choices and decisions we need to make about how we live our lives? During the next few months, it will be important to take the precautions that we personally feel most comfortable with. For instance, if we haven’t already done so it is a very good idea to take up the offer of vaccination and the second dose too, to maximise our protection against coronavirus. In the autumn, if we are aged 50 and above we may be offered a booster vaccination to ensure our immunity remains high over the winter, and it will be wise to accept it.
