Are we seeing a summer COVID wave? And what are the FLiRT variants?

When Joe Biden announced he had tested positive for COVID last week, he joined the ranks of people falling sick this summer.

It seems everyone knows someone who is ill – and experts say the Euros could have had an impact.

But what do we know about case numbers, new variants – and what the symptoms are to watch out for?

What do we know about summer case numbers?

It is difficult to track COVID waves, assess the severity of different variants, and know how effective vaccines are because COVID surveillance is much less intensive than it used to be, Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, says.

Despite that, there was a “widespread impression” of a summer wave, likely heightened by people mixing to watch the football, he says.

“The waves continue to be driven by a combination of new variants and a partial waning immunity to infection,” he adds.

Hospital admissions with COVID have remained high for several weeks, data from the UK Health Security Agency shows.

In the week to 14 July, people admitted to hospital testing positive for COVID increased slightly to 4.35 per 100,000 compared with 3.72 per 100,000 the week before.

Wastewater testing no longer takes place in England, but the data from Scotland can give insight into what’s happening south of the border.

The latest data published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) for the week ending 7 July indicated there were 1,245 COVID cases in Scotland.

Dr Kimberly Marsh told BBC Radio Scotland the provisional data for the week ending 14 July showed the number of cases had fallen to 1,130, one of “some early signals that this wave may have peaked”.

Professor Christina Pagel, member of the Independent Sage group and director of operational research at University College London, says while Scotland and England can have “different dynamics”, July’s decrease in cases in Scotland “suggests prevalence is on its way down”.

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What variants are circulating?

The newest group of COVID variants is known collectively as FLiRT.

These variants are descendants of JN.1, which traces back to Omicron.

The FLiRT variants have the same set of mutations that could make it easier for the virus to bypass protection from vaccines or prior infections.

However, the UKHSA says there is currently no evidence these variants are more severe than others in circulation.

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What are the symptoms to be aware of?

The official list of COVID symptoms has not changed, and includes:

• a high temperature or shivering
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
• shortness of breath
• feeling tired or exhausted
• an aching body
• a headache
• a sore throat
• a blocked or runny nose
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea
• feeling sick or being sick.

Dr Paul Sax, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, tells Sky News’ US partner NBC News that people testing positive in the summer wave are displaying symptoms across the spectrum.

“Some people have a very classic sore throat, runny nose, cough, and low-grade fever,” he says.

“In others, it’s mostly nausea and diarrhoea with very minimal respiratory symptoms. It can vary from A to Z and beyond.”

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Can you get a vaccine?

The NHS’s spring booster programme closed at the end of June.

That means the only way to get a COVID vaccine is to pay for it privately.

Many pharmacies offer COVID vaccines to people aged 12 and over, with the cost varying between £45 and £99.

What’s happening around the world?

In the US, infections are rising in 42 states, according to data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Wastewater data also shows high levels of COVID across the country.

COVID cases have also risen in other parts of Europe, with the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reporting higher rates in some countries, although COVID-related hospital admissions and deaths “remain low”.

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