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Q&A Is new wave peaking, and who is exempt from isolation after a ping

Q Is this new wave already peaking?

A On Friday, 36,870 new Covid cases were reported – down from the 51,870 recorded the Friday before.

A number of reasons for this have been floated. The end of the Euros, and less mixing in hospitality venues to watch matches, may have had an impact.

The Office for National Statistics surveillance report, which involves thousands of people taking weekly tests, reported a fall in positives in secondary school pupils, corresponding with the end of term – and this may also explain the latest overall figures.

The Government’s Sage group modelling the pandemic published new projections which suggest this latest wave of infections may peak by the beginning of August. In what appears to a worst-case scenario, this could mean a sharp rise to just over 2,000 hospitalisations a day in England – although most models suggest between 1,000 and 1,500 a day.

Modellers also suggest the death rate will remain low, with numbers not breaking the 100 mark in England in most scenarios.

Q Who is exempt from isolation if they get ‘pinged’?

A Figures on Thursday showed 618,903 people in England and Wales using the Covid app were sent alerts telling them to self isolate last week. Another 427,210 people were contacted by Test and Trace and ordered to quarantine – meaning a million Britons were effectively in lockdown, up by a fifth in a week.

The self-isolation rules for fully jabbed Britons will be scrapped on August 16 – but calls to bring this forward are increasing as businesses struggle to stay open.

Last Monday, the Government announced that the exemption would be brought forward for fully vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff, with immediate effect. They must produce a negative PCR result and continue to test negative daily for a minimum of seven continuous days, using lateral flow tests.

On Friday, Ministers released a list of 16 sectors that could also qualify for exemption, including police and firefighters, should they be fully vaccinated. This will also be judged on a case-by-case basis, with employers having to write to the Government to apply for exemptions for staff members.

Health

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2021-07-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

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