As the virus continues to evolve, experts assess its latest variants, seasonal prevalence and levels of vaccine uptake
It’s been five years since the start of the Covid pandemic. Although most of the government mandates, from social distancing to face masks, have been consigned to the past, the virus is still prevalent – and capable of causing real harm.
Although it was initially forecast to become a seasonal illness, the virus is on the rise in the US – making it far from the common-cold-style winter illness that was expected.
Experts said a lot of predictions made about how Covid-19 would evolve have turned out to be wrong. Five years on, what do we know about the virus?
Although news of a summer wave in the US has led to fears it could be replicated in the UK, the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that cases dropped by 28% over the past week to reach 1,046. Since most people don’t test any more, this is unlikely to reflect the true prevalence. The data for the past year shows levels have remained consistent, with a large spike last October.
