Expert warns 'we're all going to get Covid multiple times' as new wave hits UK

A professor has warned that we are all likely to contract Covid multiple times as the UK potentially faces a new wave of infections. The latest figures show an increase in hospital admissions due to Covid - from 2.67 people per 100,000 to 3.31 per 100,000.

Furthermore, recent tests indicate that around one in every 25,000 people had Covid on 26 June. Prof Paul Hunter, an epidemiology expert from the University of East Anglia, told the BBC: "We are all of us going to get repeated Covid infections from birth through to death."

"Generally what we've seen is that over the last three years, four years, the severity of illness associated with Covid has gone down a lot. Ultimately, it's going to become another cause of the common cold and, for many people, that's what it is now."

He added: "To be honest, you can't really avoid it because it's so common."

A surge in infections and hospitalisations has coincided with the emergence of new variants - known as KP2, KP3 and J1, reports Yorkshire Live.

The UKHSA has stated that it is keeping a close eye on these new strains. The latest Government advice is that anyone who tests positive for Covid should self-isolate for five days, and avoid contact with individuals who are more susceptible to severe illness if they were to contract Covid, such as the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, an epidemiologist with UKHSA, said: "If you are showing symptoms of Covid-19 or flu, help protect others by staying at home and avoiding contact with other people, especially those who are more vulnerable."