【話題精選】英國的新冠病毒感染人數成長了百分之14 (截至9月)
資料出處：2022-10-02 BBC
原文：
Covid infections in the UK are rising and have topped more than one million, according to official estimates.
There has been a 14% rise in people testing positive in the week to 20 September – the biggest increase since the summer.
But there is no clear evidence of an autumn Covid wave starting, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
More recent data showing a rise in hospital admissions with Covid has been called “a wake-up call”.
Dr Thomas Waite, deputy chief medical officer for England, told BBC News that a number of new sub-variants of Omicron were circulating at low levels, and could be behind the hospital figures.
Daily hospital admissions are lower than where they were for much of July, but highest among the oldest age groups.
However, six out of 10 people with Covid in hospital is being treated for something else – not Covid-19.
“The fact there are people getting so seriously ill they need to go into hospital is a wake-up call to us all that Covid is still here,” said Dr Waite.
Health experts have warned of a flu and Covid “twindemic” this winter, urging those who qualify to get their free jabs now.
Too early to call
Although Covid is increasing in England and Wales, the trend is uncertain in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the ONS says.
Sarah Crofts, from the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “It is too early to identify whether this is the start of a new wave of infections. We will continue to closely monitor the data.”
The ONS estimates are based on thousands of random tests on people in private households across the UK, whether or not they have symptoms.
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In the UK as a whole, it is the first time estimated Covid infections have risen above one million since the end of August 2022.
In England, infections rose in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands, the East of England, London, and the South East – and in all age groups.
The tests found that about one in 60 people had Covid in the UK in the week to 20 September, up from one in 70 the week before.
But there were noticeable differences in trends in the four nations of the UK.
The ONS says Covid is infecting:
- one in 65 people in England (up from one in 70)
- one in 50 people in Wales (up from one in 75)
- one in 80 in Northern Ireland (the same as the week before)
- one in 45 in Scotland (up from one in 55)
Data is for the week ending 17 September 2022 for England, and the week ending 20 September 2022 for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The most common Covid symptom is currently a sore throat, with fever and loss of smell much rarer, according to symptoms logged by 3,000 people testing positive via the Covid symptom app.
Booster jabs against Covid, alongside flu vaccinations, are now being offered to the most vulnerable to help protection over the winter.
Most people will receive a new type of vaccine – made by Pfizer or Moderna – which tackles both the original Covid virus and the recent Omicron variant, offering better protection.
‘Unpredictable’
There were 7,000 people in hospital in England with Covid last week – a 37% increase on the week before.
Hospital admissions with Covid were running at around 900 per day, compared to roughly 2,000 in early July during the last surge of Omicron infections.
Hospital patients and care home residents are no longer being tested for Covid in most of the UK, unless they have symptoms.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at the UK Health Security Agency, is expecting “an unpredictable winter” which will put additional pressure on health services.
“In the coming weeks, we expect a double threat of low immunity and widely circulating flu and Covid-19,” she said.
“While Covid-19 and flu can be mild infections for many, we must not forget that they can cause severe illness or even death for those most vulnerable in our communities.”
She urged people who were unwell this winter to stay at home and avoid contact with vulnerable people to help prevent infections spreading.
珂欣粗暴翻譯：
據官方估計，英國的新冠病毒感染人數正在上升，已超過一百萬人次感染，在截至 9 月 20 日的一周內，檢測呈陽性的人數增加了 14%，這是自夏季以來的最大增幅，但國家統計局 (ONS) 表示，沒有明確的證據表明秋季新冠病毒浪潮已經開始。
顯示 Covid 住院人數增加的最新數據被稱為“警鐘”，英格蘭副首席醫療官 Thomas Waite 博士告訴 BBC 新聞，一些新的 Omicron 子變種在低水平流通，可能落後於醫院的數據，每日住院人數低於 7 月大部分時間的水平，但在最年長的年齡組中最高，然而，十分之六的 Covid 住院患者正在接受其他治療，而不是 Covid-19，韋特博士說：“有些人病得很重，需要住院，這給我們所有人敲響了警鐘，新冠病毒還在這裡，健康專家警告今年冬天會出現流感和新冠病毒“流行病”，並敦促那些有資格的人現在就獲得免費疫苗。
別太早下定論
英國國家統計局表示，儘管英格蘭和威爾士的新冠肺炎疫情正在增加，但蘇格蘭和北愛爾蘭的趨勢尚不確定。
來自 ONS Covid-19 感染調查的莎拉·克羅夫茨說：“現在確定這是否是新一波感染的開始還為時過早。我們將繼續密切監視數據。”
ONS 的估計是基於對英國私人家庭中的人們進行的數千次隨機測試，無論他們是否有症狀。
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自 2022 年 8 月下旬以來，在整個英國，這是首次估計新冠病毒感染人數超過一百萬。
在英格蘭，西北部、約克郡和亨伯、西米德蘭茲、英格蘭東部、倫敦和東南部以及所有年齡組的感染率都有所上升。
圖表顯示英國 Covid 感染在一周內上升了 14%
測試發現，在截至 9 月 20 日的一周內，英國約有六分之一的人感染了 Covid，高於前一周的七十分之一。
但英國四個國家的趨勢存在明顯差異。
ONS 說 Covid 正在感染：
- 英格蘭 65 人中有 1 人（高於 70 人中的 1 人）
- 威爾士 50 人中有 1 人（高於 75 人中的 1 人）
- 北愛爾蘭 80 人中有 1 人（與前一周相同）
- 蘇格蘭 45 人中有 1 人（高於 55 人中的 1 人）
英格蘭的數據是截至 2022 年 9 月 17 日的一周，威爾士、北愛爾蘭和蘇格蘭的數據是截至 2022 年 9 月 20 日的一周。
根據通過 Covid 症狀應用程序檢測呈陽性的 3,000 人記錄的症狀，目前最常見的 Covid 症狀是喉嚨痛，發燒和嗅覺喪失的情況要少得多。
現在正在向最脆弱的人提供針對 Covid 的加強疫苗以及流感疫苗接種，以幫助他們在冬季獲得保護。
大多數人將接受由輝瑞或 Moderna 製造的新型疫苗，該疫苗可同時應對原始的 Covid 病毒和最近的 Omicron 變種，提供更好的保護。
不可預料的
上週，英格蘭有 7,000 人因新冠肺炎住院，比前一周增加了 37%。
與 Covid 一起入院的人每天大約有 900 人，而在上一次 Omicron 感染激增期間，7 月初大約有 2,000 人。
在英國大部分地區，醫院患者和療養院居民不再接受新冠病毒檢測，除非他們有症狀。
英國衛生安全局公共衛生項目主任瑪麗·拉姆齊博士預計“一個不可預測的冬天”將給衛生服務帶來額外壓力。
“在接下來的幾周里，我們預計免疫力低下以及廣泛傳播的流感和 Covid-19 的雙重威脅，”她說。
“雖然 Covid-19 和流感對許多人來說可能是輕微感染，但我們不能忘記，它們可能會給我們社區中最脆弱的人帶來嚴重的疾病甚至死亡。”
她敦促今年冬天身體不適的人呆在家裡，避免與易受感染的人接觸，以幫助防止感染傳播。
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