Nationally, cases of coronavirus have been falling this month, but that decline is now reported to have levelled off, reports the BBC.
And according to the latest ZOE COVID Study incidence figures, daily symptomatic cases in the UK on average, have actually increased this week. The study is based on reports from around 840,000 weekly contributors.
Similarly at a local level, case numbers in Devon, which had fallen a little, have started to rise again, particularly among the school-age population.
This pattern is to be expected. As people returned to work and school after New Year, mixing and contact with others has increased, giving coronavirus more opportunity to spread.
The high case levels among the school-age population is also a national trend, and those cases appear to be translating to an increase in cases in their parents’ age group.
The ZOE COVID Study says that the recent rise in cases among children aged 0 to 18 has accelerated, with cases spilling into the 25 to 55 year old age group, where cases are now rising, confirming a trend of household transmission between generations.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist at the ZOE COVID Study, said:
“The bounce back in case numbers just as we lift restrictions has come sooner than expected. But it’s not surprising given that, throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen the end of school holidays repeatedly usher in a rapid rise in cases among children, which then cross over into parents and school staff.”
“It’s crucial that we’re responsible with our new freedoms and help prevent the virus reaching the more vulnerable groups,” Prof Spector told the BBC.