Related articles in Covid-19

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 21 August 2023

We’ve raised the risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life to Extremely High. The next wave of Covid continues to build, with around 1 in every 50 people in England now infected with Covid. (This is also the rate and risk for Bucks). The number of hospital patients infected with Covid, both in Bucks and nationally, also continues to rise very sharply.

As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 5 and 8 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

Because of the limited number of virus tests being done, we don’t know whether this continuing rise in Covid-infected people is being driven by the new variant, BA.2.86 or by existing variants, or both.

Hospitals and GP practices remain the most dangerous places to catch Covid. NHS staff are now required to work even if they have Covid and there are no Covid precautions in place at most NHS buildings. Do avoid hospitals and GP practices unless your visit is essential and wear a tight-fitted filter mask (FFP2 or FFP3) all the time if you have to go there.

BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage, and NHS statistics. To learn more about this, use this link.

To understand more about our Covid risk levels and what they mean, use this link.

For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.