Why are there around thirty thousand new COVID-19 cases reported every day in the UK?

DDiL has just gone down with it. The first case among people I know. She is fully vaccinated and caught it from 11 year old grandson's friend.

We are stuck with COVID as we are with flu and many other diseases that are usually mild but can be serious. Whether we like it or not we have got to learn to live with it. All sorts of diseases can leave children and adults with long term damage, my best friend lungs were damaged by whooping cough, which she got before the vaccination was introduced. She has had a lifetime of respiratory infections, several leading to hospital admissions. It hasn't stopped her following a demanding career and doing everything in life that she has ever wanted to do.

Case numbers are important to know about in my opinion, as apart from indicating what the pressures on hospitals will be a couple of weeks ahead, the case numbers are split down to very local prevalence, so you know what is happening near you.

Germanshepherdsmum

And universities.

University age have been offered vaccinations though. Mine at uni has had two vaccines and has had Covid. Most his friends have been vaccinated too. My 15 yo is being vaccinated next week also.

Our council (local authority) website has the covid 19 cases in each area and death rates and I think it's updated every week as there were 8 deaths from covid here last week.

Have you had your vaccination ElderlyPerson?

growstuff

Hospitalisation and death figures are easy to find out. Why do you think they're not?

My complaint is that they are not given the same status as 'case' numbers. They are more 'useful' numbers so it puzzles me why case numbers are concentrated on in the media. What does 'case' even mean, for instance? Does it mean just a positive test result? Does it mean someone has mild Covid symptoms but is not ill? Does it mean someone is ill?

I saw an acquaintance yesterday and was shocked to see him - although he is 80+ he was always very fit, a hiker, enthusiastic U3A member, but had a spell in hospital last year.
His wife told me he had contracted Covid in hospital and now has Long Covid. He was a robust, energetic and strong man but was a shadow of his former self.

It spreads in schools, particularly settings for younger children, like wildfire. The majority of those kids are either completely asymptomatic or lightly sniffly.

ElderlyPerson

I may be missing something that is well-known to others or perhaps seen as obvious, but I am genuinely puzzled as to why, with the pandemic having been a top public concern for 18 months now, there are around thirty thousand new cases being reported every day in the UK.

Is there an answer?

I think the answer may be that more tests are being done so more "cases", whatever that means, are being discovered which might not have been discovered if fewer tests were being done. What is the point of case numbers without some clear definition of what 'case' means?

Over 38% of the new cases today are in 10-19 year olds. That is meaningful because it tells people that precautions in schools are totally inadequate and children are being infected. It also explains why hospitalisations and deaths aren't increasing at the same rate as cases.

Maybe you're one of those who don't think teenagers matter.

Baggs

growstuff

Hospitalisation and death figures are easy to find out. Why do you think they're not?

My complaint is that they are not given the same status as 'case' numbers. They are more 'useful' numbers so it puzzles me why case numbers are concentrated on in the media. What does 'case' even mean, for instance? Does it mean just a positive test result? Does it mean someone has mild Covid symptoms but is not ill? Does it mean someone is ill?

It means somebody has tested positive. It's not difficult to understand.

Shrub

Does anyone know the age range of those contracting Covid at the moment? Is it mainly teenagers and younger children? Or young adults?

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Meaghan Kall
Lead Epidemiologist in COVID-19 Epidemiology Cell at Public Health England

Lots of data here on the government's page of official data. I don't know if it's good enough for what people want to know.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

I'm watching to see if the Durham cases start rising again now the university students are back. There were very high numbers in the city which dropped dramatically when they went home for the summer holiday.

I'm sorry to hear of your friend, MOnica, but isolated cases of harm from other diseases aren't evidence that there isn't big a future problem being stored up as a result of the covid pandemic. And, as you said, that was before vaccination against whooping cough was introduced. You really couldn't do much to avoid children catching it.

What is so frustrating now is that there are no attempts to mitigate the risk for children and young people. No money for ventilation or air filters in schools and no mandatory mask wearing. Not even any isolation for children who have a sibling or siblings infected. Parents even threatened with legal action if they keep their children off school. This is horrific as these things are known to to be useful mitigations.

Doing things like this are surely part of 'learning to live with it?

Maizie When I tried to ask what people mean by "living with Covid", I was snapped at. Nobody wanted to give any details and it's quite obvious that there are different interpretations. To me, "living with it" means accepting that it is still with us and we should mitigate against risk. Others seem to accept illness and death. Some just parrot what they've read in the media.

To me, "living with it" means accepting that it is still with us and we should mitigate against risk.

That's what it means to me, growstuff. I think the 'mitigation against risk' is vital in view of its potential for long term harm. I don't understand why people are just shrugging their shoulders.

So many people seem to be unaware of (or unwilling to listen to) basic hygiene precautions.
“Living with Covid” is to me like living with any infectious disease- you take the necessary precautions yourself, the social distancing, no hugging, face coverings and hand washing are self evident and if immunisation is available - you take that.
If you are unlucky enough to have symptoms or suspect you may have been in contact with it, you stay away from young babies, pregnant mums, the elderly and the vulnerable.
You do not “struggle” into work coughing and sneezing over your fellow commuters or colleagues, thereby spreading the disease.
Whether it is chickenpox, flu, even a bad cold or Covid , you can’t rely on the vaccine alone and sadly there is no vaccine against stupidity or selfishness.

I think it’s huge numbers who are tested in the UK. People who aren’t even poorly can test positive.

Friends who live out here in Spain are amazed at all the testing that goes on in the UK.

‘Test and ye shall find’ I think. Maybe here, not so much and ignorance is (relative) bliss.

Totally agree umstongran

growstuff

Maizie When I tried to ask what people mean by "living with Covid", I was snapped at. Nobody wanted to give any details and it's quite obvious that there are different interpretations. To me, "living with it" means accepting that it is still with us and we should mitigate against risk. Others seem to accept illness and death. Some just parrot what they've read in the media.

I answered but perhaps you didn't see it.

(And I didn't snap)

I answered too. At least twice. With lots of details.

Yes, you did and I did see them. However, there were many other comments which accompanied a "laissez faire" attitude. It was obvious some people were happy to ditch their masks and go back to "normal" because the government said they could and if they're infected, so what? People die all the time, don't they? I cannot accept that attitude for myself and I continue to avoid anybody who is willing to put anybody else in danger.

And, yes, some people were very snappy. It was as though they thought I was advocating a return to full lockdown and they couldn't see any middle way.

I keep seeing this comment on here that case numbers are higher in the UK because the UK tests more than anyone else. Is it not more likely that more cases lead to more tests?
Granddaughter in England aged 15 went back to school and there were 63 cases in her Year 11 (GCSE) ten days later. Lots with mild symptoms, some unwell.
Granddaughter aged 13 in Spain went back to school double vaccinated, no reported cases.
Here in France, 80% of 12+ vaccinated, masks still worn by all age groups, no significant spread associated with schools and numbers still dropping for positive tests, hospitalisations and deaths in general population. In our area cases are down to 22 per 100,000, France as a whole 73 per 100,000.
I would have thought that the most likely explanation is that vaccination and mask wearing help keep case numbers low.
"We test more" sounds more like an excuse to me?
On a personal note I am angry at the disruption to the education of my granddaughter and her cohort in their GCSE year. It could so easily have been avoided.

Being vaccinated does not stop you getting Covid-19.

Being vaccinated means that your symptoms will be mild or none at all, you are less likely to be hospitalised or die.

Being vaccinated does not mean that you are unable to pass on Covid-19.

I have been vaccinated as have all our AC, I am just still hesitant that vaccines for under 16 is the right thing for them.

Being vaccinated reduces your chances of catching Covid or of having significant symptoms.
Disruption to your education at any time, but especially in important exam years can have a significant negative impact on your future.
Why has mask wearing been dropped? Why has ventilation in classrooms not been a priority?

I think that, on balance, children should be vaccinated. It may be, mainly, for the benefit of others, the safety of all - but there was never a fuss about the German Measles one, was there?

Anything available to just slow down that infection rate, to protect the vulnerable, should be encouraged. Hospitals are already working near capacity so we need everything at hand to get through this winter.