Just when you thought it was safe to trash your mask… Covid cases rise

PUTNEY, U.K. - Aug. 3, 2023 - PRLog -- There's mounting evidence that Covid-19 cases are on the rise. The latest Government data reveals a sharp 10.4% climb in cases towards the end of July, and Covid-related hospital cases have soared 16.5% in England.

Leading testing expert, Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: 'It's the news no one wanted to hear. The latest indicators point towards a resurgence in Covid, as antibody levels in the community start to fall. The Government's latest figures show a surge in cases towards the end of last month in England, while the Zoe Health Study, which monitors cases across the UK, says estimated cases jumped from 606,629 on 4 July to 821,074 on 30 July.

'London Medical Laboratory has seen a 30% rise in Covid PCR tests and an even higher jump in its 4-in-1 PCR test, which identifies whether people are suffering from Covid or one of three other viruses with similar symptoms: influenza A or B or RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus).

'Our chief concern is that the Government ditched its vital Covid antibody monitoring programme in March. It gave invaluable data on how well antibody levels in the community were holding up. It's likely to have been many months since most of us had a Covid top-up jab. As a result, even its final set of figures, for the week beginning 13 February, showed antibodies at the recommended 800ng/ml level had already fallen to 66.6% among 25-34 year-olds and 66.8% among 35-49 year-olds. This could demonstrate a population-level vulnerability to any Covid-19 resurgence in the UK. We should not become too complacent; the impact of long Covid cannot be underestimated.

'In our view, the UK should reintroduce antibody monitoring at the very least. But is there also a need for more preventative measures? We all breathed an unmuffled sigh of relief when we were finally able to ditch our face masks. Will we soon be fetching them out of the bottom draw?

'The best way to guard against catching Covid and developing long Covid symptoms is to keep fully vaccinated. If anyone is concerned about their current level of Covid antibodies, the new generation Covid antibody blood test (https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/lml-igg-q...) available from London Medical Laboratory is highly accurate, quick and simple to carry out. This test can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer it across London and nationwide in over 95 selected pharmacies and health stores.