If there has been lots of new cases of infections..

[Mummypig2020]

Then why isn’t there an increase in hospital admissions? Or deaths? I know it says it can take 2-3 weeks to die but surely people will be quite poorly?

I wonder if it’s because older/vulnerable people are still being quite cautious but it’s now younger people getting it who aren’t as susceptible to serious illness?

I think the strain has became weaker, it’s not so deadly anymore.

I'm unsure but I'm holding onto it as something positive.

Because lot of the new cases will be amongst young people who don’t have severe symptoms. That wouldn’t be so bad if it stayed that way, but in all likelihood they will spread it to their parents and grandparents, then to workplaces etc, who won’t have it so easy. So it’ll take longer to get to hospitalizations, but it’ll probably get there eventually.

@Mummypig2020

I think the strain has became weaker, it’s not so deadly anymore.

That would be good.

Also care homes HOPEFULLY being properly protected now and remember half the deaths were in there :(

I understood it was as Senga says - it's younger people getting and transmitting it.

Once autumn hits this will become more problematic in terms of serious health impacts and deaths.

@Mummypig2020

I think the strain has became weaker, it’s not so deadly anymore.

Where’s the genome sequencing that proves this statement?

It takes a while to circulate to the people who get most sick / hospital is my reckoning

Because the numbers are small and the virus has not been left to circulate freely as it was in February/March when we had no idea of the true number of infections. As well as the older/vulnerable being better protected now. If we can keep stopping the transmission getting out of hand again there will be lower admissions/deaths.

They are claiming that it is because the new cases are overwhelmingly in younger people who are much less likely to get the virus seriously. Unfortunately such an argument is incompatible with multiple previous statements from the government and in particular the scientific advisors who have claimed that it would be impossible to prevent increased infections in the young from similarly increasing infections in the old. Clearly if such a pattern continues it will be simply impossible to continue to argue that relaxing some restrictions for younger people while keeping them in place for older people is not feasible.

There has been an increase in deaths reported in my region this week. The first time since early June.

Just wait till the universities go back

I hope it's a good sign, like a weaker strain, but I just think it takes a while. Covid doesn't kill you instantly. Give it 2-3 weeks and see what the stats are. Plus it's the younger ones who are out and about mostly. Many elderly and vulnerable people are still social distancing.

There's a lag between infection rise and hospital admissions, you won't see a rise in people being admitted for a couple of weeks and then another couple of weeks for death toll to rise, we'll only know the true extent in 4 weeks plus just before schools go back☹️

Partly it's maths. Between 50,000 and 70,000 of the people it could kill are already dead.

Also, remember how long it took throughout February and March for us to notice it was building. Not many people died then either.

Many more people getting tested as well as the other factors above

@Mummypig2020

I think the strain has became weaker, it’s not so deadly anymore.

You might think that OP, but you are wrong.

I will try and find the study, but it was a medical journal and they said that colder air irritates airways in a different way, colds flu etc can be caught in the summer months but people can shake them off better. Also viral load, people are outside more atm.

Older people usually have symptoms and know they are ill. They seek out a test. Younger people may not even know they are infected, they are being tested after being identified via contact tracing of symptomatic older people.

@user1471439240

Older people usually have symptoms and know they are ill. They seek out a test. Younger people may not even know they are infected, they are being tested after being identified via contact tracing of symptomatic older people.

I didn't know that but it makes perfect t sense knowing what we know.

So they are silently spreading it.

Thanks for that insight.

There's a lag. The US said the same thing a few weeks ago in the southern states. The infection rate was up but hospitalisations and deaths weren't. Less than a month later and they have full hospitals and the refrigerator trucks are back.....

Because from first symptoms to hospitalisation takes on average 2 weeks. So increases in cases probably wouldn't have translated into significantly higher admissions. Though our admissions in South that I live have increased.

I wonder how many heart attacks, strokes, and pneumonia deaths we've had recently. Whether it's above average. If so, they're possibly coronavirus deaths but not officially recorded as such. Coronavirus can trigger heart attacks and strokes. I think I read somewhere we've had above average for July pneumonia deaths. I might be confusing it with something else.

Indeed, @sheepandcow. I caught Covid in March and I'm still very ill with heart and lung problems now. (I'm 39!!) Sounds crazy, but I told my DH that if this does kill me, he has to insist it's listed as Covid. I want to be counted and not palmed off as something else.

Because at the beginning people were being told not to approach medical help unless their lips were turning blue by which point they were in poor shape. We also didn't understand the treatment options as well as we do now.

Ow people who have symptoms can be tested immediately. If they start to feel very unwell they can get medical treatment and we know which drugs will improve their condition so that ventilators and admission are less likely to be needed.