With 1 in 48 people in Bucks infected with Covid-19, the risk of catching Covid when out and about in Bucks is still EXTREMELY HIGH. Recent falls in the number of infected people have stopped, and early signs are that we may see them rising again soon.
BuDS still urges everyone to be Covid-Cautious and keep taking sensible precautions against catching Covid-19. To repeat: the chances of coming across a person with Covid in your everyday life is still EXTREMELY HIGH. Wear a FFP2 or N95 filter mask in public places, breathe clean air, avoid crowds and busy places, work from home if you can, and protect your older and vulnerable relatives and friends.
The good news is that the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 is continuing to trend downwards. This is because the number of people infected with Omicron BA.2 is falling. However, if the number of infected people starts to rise again as new variants spread (see below), the number of people in hospital will start to go back up again as well.
BuDS will let continue to keep you up to date every week.
Jubilee Bank Holiday Takeover For New Variants
Omicron BA.2 has run out of people to infect, because so many people have caught it. So, the numbers of infected people have come down from the extraordinarily high levels we had seven weeks ago. However, the ONS Infection Survey shows that the fall in the number of infected people across England has largely stopped.
New analysis from COG UK (the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium) shows that Omicron variants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, are all showing rapid growth in England. These variants are quickly replacing Omicron BA.2 as the main or dominant variant in England. The COG UK analysis suggests that these other new variants will be the majority of new infections by the Jubilee bank holiday weekend. At the moment, it looks like BA.2.12.1 and BA.4 will be competing against each other for dominance. Many scientists are predicting the next Omicron wave will be in the second half of June and into July.
It is not completely clear how BA.2.12.1 and BA.4 will affect the people who catch it. We know from the United States, where these variants are already circulating, that these new variants are at least as dangerous as Omicron BA.2, which led to hundreds of thousands of people going into hospital and around 2000 people dying every week. So, a new wave of BA.2.12.1 and BA.4 will be very serious for everyone, especially disabled and clinically vulnerable people. We do not know whether this next wave will be worse, the same, or less severe than the recent Omicron BA.2 wave.
The key thing to remember is that the chances of catching Covid-19 in your everyday life are still EXTREMELY HIGH, and is likely to increase as we approach the Jubilee bank holiday weekend. BuDS will continue to monitor the scientific data and keep you up to date.
A Message For People Who Don’t Mind Catching Covid-19
Many people have now had Covid twice, three or four times. This might not seem to matter if all you feel is mildly ill each time. But every time you catch Covid is a huge gamble. This infection might be the time that you get more seriously ill straight after catching Covid. Or this might be the time that Covid triggers conditions like brain, lung, kidney or liver damage, a stroke, or a heart attack. New research shows that the first time you catch Covid, you have about a 1 in 10 chance of developing a long-term condition. With each subsequent time you catch it, that risk goes UP.
You may have survived Covid once with little problems. You might survive Covid the next time with little problems. But if you catch Covid regularly through the year, sooner or later the odds WILL catch up with you. Scientists say Covid is the largest mass-disabling event ever in human history, worse than polio or HIV. Please take sensible precautions to avoid catching Covid and opt out of the disability lottery.
Get A Protective Mask!
Wearing a protective face mask which filters the virus out of the air you breathe is one of the two best ways to protect yourself from Covid (the other is being fully vaccinated and boosted). Disabled and clinically vulnerable people can get high-quality fully-certified reusable PPE face masks at big discounts thanks to partnerships between BuDS and two leading mask manufacturers, Cambridge Masks and Airinum. There is a link at the end of this article to the form to learn more and get the discounts. Any number of masks can be bought, and the offer is open to all disabled and clinically vulnerable people in the UK, not just in Bucks.
The Risk In Bucks
BuDS uses the most up to date 5-day rolling average ONS Infection Survey data covering the period to 13 May. This is of course 10 days ago, but it is the most reliable data available.
Using this data, we calculate that 1 in 48 people in Bucks have Covid, which is 11,322 people. Although this is slightly lower than we reported in our last risk assessment, data revisions by the ONS mean that the risk is actually unchanged or slightly higher than it was last week.
You can see how current numbers compare to the other waves of Covid-19 in Bucks by looking at the graph. We have included the number of positive tests reported purely for comparison – these test results are no longer of any value in tracking the virus.
How Likely Are You To Meet An Infected Person?
Your chance of meeting an infected person when you are out and about in Bucks remains EXTREMELY HIGH.
If we assume that every infected person is active in their local community, these figures will help you understand the risk of meeting one.
- How many infected people in every 1000?[1] – 21
- How many infected people in Aylesbury?[2] – 1,249
- How many infected people in High Wycombe?[3] – 2,498
- How many infected people in Amersham?[4] – 564
- How many infected people in Chesham?[5] – 556
- How many infected people in Buckingham?[6] – 312
- How many infected people in Burnham?[7] – 236
- How many infected people (adults or children) in a large school?[8] – 31
- How many infected people in a busy town centre?[9] – 208
- How many infected people at a large public event?[10] – 416
- How many infected people in a busy shopping centre?[11] – 21
- How many infected people in a busy supermarket?[12] – 6
How Is The NHS Coping?
The number of patients in Bucks hospitals with Covid-19 is continuing to trend downwards – for the moment. These figures are for 15 May, the latest available:
Total number of Bucks hospital patients with Covid – 328.
This total includes people admitted with Covid and those who caught it in hospital. It is 21.3% lower than the previous week (417). Not all these people will be seriously ill with Covid – see below.
Total number of people admitted with Covid – 87
This total is of people who had Covid on admission to hospital, whether they were admitted because of Covid illness or found to have Covid when admitted for another reason. Not all these people will be seriously ill with Covid. This figure is 23% lower than last week (104).
Estimated total of people in hospital primarily for Covid illness – 131
This figure is 34.5% lower than last week (200).
As of May 5, the NHS estimate that around 40% of patients infected with Covid in hospitals in the SE of England are there primarily because of Covid illness. We have applied this percentage to the total number of patients in Bucks hospitals who are infected with Covid. All these people are likely to be seriously ill with Covid.
Estimated total of people admitted to hospital primarily for Covid illness – 35
This figure is 30.3% lower than last week (50).
As of May 5, the NHS estimate that around 40% of patients infected with Covid in hospitals in the SE of England are there primarily because of Covid illness. We have applied this percentage to the total number of patients in Bucks hospitals admitted with Covid to give you a rough idea of how many people are being admitted to hospital because of Covid illness. All these people are likely to be seriously ill with Covid.
You can see how hospitalisation numbers have changed in 2022 on the graphs below.
Keeping Covid-19 under control is vitally important for the NHS and for everyone. If the number of Covid-19 patients gets too high, or high numbers of NHS staff are off sick or self-isolating, or both, hospitals cannot keep patients safe, and care is threatened for all patients.
Covid-19 Deaths In Bucks
We use death statistics for the last two weeks rather than just the last week, so you get a more accurate figure. Over all three counting measures, the number of deaths in Bucks is sadly remaining high, and there are early signs of rise back to the very high rates seen during the peak in March and April.
There are three ways of counting the number of Covid-related deaths in Bucks.
- 22 May, 7 people died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,312. Because people are increasingly living longer even with severe Covid illness, this is the least accurate total.
- Between 8 May and 22 May, 15 people died within 60 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,638. This total is the most clinically appropriate because of the length of time people now live with severe Covid illness.
- Between 22 April and 6 May, 16 people died with Covid as a cause of death as recorded by doctors on their death certificates, bringing the total to 1,474. This is the most reliable total, but the data is always two weeks old.
Deaths from Covid in Bucks continue at the rate of one to two every DAY. At least one person has died of Covid in Bucks every single day in the last twenty-one weeks.
How Many People Are Vaccinated In Bucks?
For the fourth week running, vaccination has made virtually no progress in Bucks across all age groups.
Effectively, vaccination has ground to a halt in Bucks.
Here are the latest vaccination figures for 24 April:
- Young children (aged 5 to 11) –10.8% have had 1 dose; 0.3% have had two doses, and 0.002% have had three doses. 99.99% (51,168) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Secondary-age children (aged 12 to 15) – 64.1% have had 1 dose; 44.4% have had two doses and 0.6% have had three doses. 99.4% (30,279) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Older Teenagers (aged 16 to 17) – 76.6% have had 1 dose; 62.4% have had two doses and 18.1% have had three doses. 81.9% (11,669) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Adults (aged 18 to 70) – 86.2% have had 1 dose; 83.9% have had two doses and 68.6% have had three doses. 31.4% (119,025) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Older Adults (aged over 70) – 96.9% have had 1 dose; 96.3% have had two doses and 94.0% have had three doses. 6.0% (4,760) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
As the figures above show, virtually all children and young people in Bucks have very low protection against Omicron. Nearly a third of adults also have very low protection against Omicron, and most worryingly, thousands of older adults still have very low protection against Omicron.
Remember, those who received their third booster jab before 29 March 2022 are, week by week, becoming less protected against Omicron. While their protection against being severely ill and being admitted to hospital is still good, their resistance to catching Omicron and being ill at home is shrinking.
Offers & More Information
If you’d like to know more about the issues below, use the appropriate link.
To find out more about the discounts for certified FFP2 and N95 face masks for disabled and clinically vulnerable people, use this link: https://buds.org.uk/face-mask-offers/
How we calculate our figures and how we check them for accuracy – https://buds.org.uk/risk-post-statistical-methods-explanation/
All our Covid-19 articles – https://buds.org.uk/category/our-work/iag-covid-19/
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
BuDS can help you by answering questions, providing information, helping you find practical support or help in a crisis or being a friendly voice if you’re lonely or isolated. If you’d like any help or support from us, message us through social media, e-mail buds-support@buds.org.uk or leave us a voicemail on 01494 211179. We’ll do our very best to help you.
References
[1] Population of approx. 543973 based on 2018 survey data, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274
[2] Population of approx. 60,000 people, from https://www.aylesburytowncouncil.gov.uk/about-aylesbury/#:~:text=Aylesbury%2C%20the%20County%20Town%20of%20Buckinghamshire%2C%20is%20a,of%20over%2060%2C000%2C%20the%20largest%20in%20Aylesbury%20Vale.
[3] Population of approx. 120,000 people, from https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/About-the-council/Transparency-and-open-government/Open-data/Statistics-and-census-information.aspx
[4] Population of 27,077 as of the 2011 Census, from http://old.buckscc.gov.uk/media/1000352/Local-Community-Area-Data.xls
[5] Population of 26,718 as of the 2011 Census, from http://old.buckscc.gov.uk/media/1000352/Local-Community-Area-Data.xls
[6] Population of approx. 15,000 people, from https://www.buckingham-tc.gov.uk/
[7] Population of approx. 11360 as of the 2011 census, from https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Burnham,_Buckinghamshire#cite_note-ons-1
[8] Assuming pupils plus staff equals 1500 people in total
[9] Assuming 10,000 people present at any one time
[10] Assuming 20,000 people present at any one time
[11] Assuming 1000 people present at any one time
[12] Assuming 300 people present at any one time