Covid infections rise by 14% in UK and now top a million in the UK.

As we have predicted the start of the autumn and school terms will bring the new variants into the main populaltion. With a rapid increase to follow.

There has been a 14% rise in positive tests in the week to 20 September. the biggest increase this year.

However, 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

Dr Thomas Waite, deputy chief medical officer for England, called it a wake up call. He said that a number of new sub-variants of Omicron were circulating at low levels.

Hospital admission rates are highest among the oldest age groups.

"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.

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 survey was based upon thousands of random tests on people in private households across the UK. irrelevent of if they had symptons or not.

TwinDemic

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.

Health Security Agency chief medical adviser Dr Susan Hopkins quoated in saying that Covid cases "looked like they were turning in all four nations in the UK".

"We do believe we are starting to see our autumn wave of Covid," she said.

Steve Russell NHS director for vaccinations and screening said: "This winter could be the first time we see the effects of the so called 'twindemic' with both Covid and flu in full circulation, so it is vital that those most susceptible to serious illness from these viruses come forward for vaccines in order to protect themselves and those around them."

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says this year's flu jab is a good match for the type of seasonal influenza that is circulating - a strain called H3N2.

In Australia, which had a reasonably severe flu season during its winter, the jab was well matched to that strain.

It is the same one that caused a bad flu season for the UK in 2017-18.