Routine Covid tests are being scrapped for NHS staff, patients and people living in care homes in the latest step back to pre-pandemic life.
From April 1, lateral flow tests in England will only be available to those most at risk of the virus, and to health and social workers if they have symptoms.
Britain’s Health Safety Agency said it would continue the move because of high levels of immunity in the population, vaccination and waves of infection, which mean fewer people have become seriously ill with the virus.
It comes after the agency confirmed yesterday that Nando’s-style Covid alert levels – which indicated the threat level of the virus on a scale of one to five, which bears a striking resemblance to the fast food chain’s peri-peri scale which displays is – thrown out is . .
Even the hated NHS Covid app – responsible for the ‘ping epidemic’ – will be scrapped next month, it was confirmed this week, despite the latest Covid data suggesting cases are rising.
From April 1, lateral flow tests will only be available to those most at risk from the virus, and to health and social workers if they have symptoms
Nando’s-style Covid alert levels lifted as cases start to rise again
Analysts at the Office for National Statistics estimated that almost 1.7 million Britons were carrying the virus every weekday up to March 13. This is an increase of almost 14 percent compared to the previous week
The software, which has been downloaded more than 31 million times, was responsible for the hated “pingdemic”. Britons have been encouraged to enter their positive test results into the app so it can send alerts to anyone they’ve been close to recently, letting them know they’re infected and should self-isolate
Alert scales have acted as an important tool to inform the public about virus threat levels.
And his retirement comes days after officials announced the NHS’s Covid app will be shut down next month.
The software, which has been downloaded more than 31 million times in England and Wales, was responsible for the much-hated ‘ping epidemic’.
The app encouraged people to self-isolate for up to 10 days if they were in close contact – within two meters for more than 15 minutes – of an infected person.
While Britons have never been legally required to do so, hundreds of thousands a week have been told to self-isolate at the height of the “pandemic” in the summer of 2021.
In addition, the long-running UK Covid survey has also been scrapped.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Covid Infection Survey released its last regular report last week – barely three years since it was launched in April 2020.
But the end of the survey comes alongside the warnings and the NHS application when infections from the virus reach their highest ever level in England in 2023.
The ONS poll’s swan song report warned that one in 40 people across the country were infected with the virus, rising to one in 17 in some parts.
The final report estimates that as of March 13, nearly 1.7 million Britons were carrying the virus every day of the week. This was an increase of almost 14 percent from the previous week.
Leading experts fear that the outbreak will continue to gain momentum in the coming weeks as part of the virus’ natural cycle.
Some even called for masks to be returned.
Government scientists have decided to scrap the sliding scale system that indicates the threat level of the virus
The North West recorded the highest Covid incidence in England, with an estimated 4.14 per cent of those infected. This equates to around one in 25, although the ONS said it could be as high as one in 17. This was followed by the East Midlands with 3.36 per cent
Analysts from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have estimated that almost 1.73 million Britons are carrying the virus every weekday up to March 13. This is an increase of almost 14 per cent from the previous week, when an estimated 1.52 million Britons were infected
GP surgeries in parts of the country have even started canceling appointments as they are “exceptionally understaffed” due to the boom.
Michelle Bowen, head of health surveillance at the ONS, said: “This week’s data shows that the number of infections in England is increasing.
However, developments in the rest of the UK are uncertain.
“In England, positivity has increased among children and over-50s. The North West, East Midlands and South East of England have all seen increases in infections, although the trend in all other regions is uncertain.’
Over the past few months, the ONS survey has helped track the size and progress of the 2022 Christmas wave, which peaked at nearly three million infections, as well as the recent increase in the prevalence of the virus.
In the absence of official estimates of Covid levels, hospital data recorded by the NHS will be one of the few remaining sources of data, along with death certificates, to give an idea of prevalence.
The UK Health Security Agency said the alert level system could be reset if necessary.
Steven Riley, director-general for data, analysis and surveillance at the UKHSA, said the body would continue to monitor the virus.
“If the immediate risk of the virus increases significantly, we will continue to advise chief medical officers and ministers on warning systems,” he told i News.
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
