Should face masks return as Covid cases soar across the UK?

Should face masks return as Covid cases soar across the UK? A sharp rise in Covid cases and hospital admissions has put the virus back in the spotlight, as the XFG strain continues to spread across the UK more than four years after mask rules ended It’s been over four years since the legal requirement to wear face masks in the UK ended for the last time - but a new strain has sparked the question of whether they should come back. The XFG strain, also known as Stratus, is the most common Covid variant in North America, leading to it being dubbed ‘American Covid’. It has been circulating around the UK for around a year, but more recently it has taken the country by storm. There has been a steep rise in Covid cases, with hospital admissions increasing and putting further pressure on the already stretched NHS, according to the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency. Last month, cases jumped to 4,589 from 1,374 in August, while the number of people needing a hospital bed climbed to almost 5,000. Worryingly, more than half of the positive tests which led to hospitalisation were attributed to the XFG variant. Hospital admissions still remain below pandemic peaks and Covid is not as severe for most people as it was in previous years, but the virus continues to cause serious illness, hospitalisations and deaths, particularly among those with weakened immune systems and people aged 75 and over. Face coverings became a familiar sight during the pandemic, with millions of Brits required to wear them in shops, on public transport and in other indoor settings in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. The legal requirement was eventually dropped in 2022, and masks have largely disappeared from everyday life since. The XFG strain behind a large proportion of recent infections belongs to the Omicron family, which first emerged in late 2021. Also known as Stratus, XFG is a recombinant variant, meaning it was formed when different Covid lineages combined. The World Health Organisation designated the strain a variant under monitoring last year, but current evidence does not suggest it causes more severe illness than other circulating variants. Despite its recent rise, health experts have stressed the strain itself is not new to Britain. Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “The strains currently going around, including those known as XFG, are closely related to strains that have been with us for over a year, so this isn’t something new.” Like other Covid variants, symptoms can easily be mistaken for a cold, with a blocked or runny nose, headache, high temperature and shivering among the signs to look out for. Other symptoms linked to the virus include: - A persistent, dry cough - Fatigue or general tiredness - A high temperature of 38C+ - Scratchy or sore throat - Diarrhoea UKHSA has said Covid symptoms have changed over time, with many people now experiencing signs similar to a common cold. But despite the jump in infections, health officials have said there is currently no evidence that the variants circulating are making people more ill or spreading faster than previous strains. Dr Allen said: “While Covid-19 activity has shown some recent increases, cases remain at low levels in the UK. We’re also not seeing any evidence that these are making people more ill or spreading faster than before, and this year’s autumn vaccine has been specifically designed to protect against them.” Health officials are urging those eligible to get their Covid and flu vaccines ahead of the winter months, when respiratory viruses can circulate at higher levels. The most recent figures also recorded 28 Covid deaths in England last week, nine more than the week before, while XFG and its sub-lineages accounted for almost half of sequenced samples. Cases have also been rising elsewhere in the UK. In Wales, there were 134 confirmed cases as of September 27, with 23 people in hospital, up from just one the previous week. In Scotland, 197 cases and 70 hospital admissions had been recorded as of September 20, with XFG variants making up a substantial proportion of sequenced infections.