UK Covid cases nearly double in a month as two new strains Eris & Pirola emerge

COVID infections in England have almost doubled in the past month, as two new, highly-mutated variants emerge.

It comes as experts fear the ‘Pirola’ variant, known scientifically as BA.2.86 could infect the vaccinated.

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However, there is no evidence to suggest the new strains are any more dangerous than previous variants.

Some 875 Brits had the bug on August 11, according to the most recent Government statistics available, up from 449 on July 11.

The most recent UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) statistics also suggest hospital admissions have risen for the sixth week in a row, with 2,171 people admitted with the bug on the week ending August 11.

The surge in cases coincides with the arrival of the EG.5 ‘Eris’ strain, which makes up to one in four UK cases.

But scientists have raised the alarm over the Pirola variant, which is quickly spreading globally due to its 36 different mutations.

UKHSA confirmed a case of BA.2.86 on Friday and said it was undertaking a “detailed assessment” to find out more.

Millions have already had the bug and the majority of Brits also have a high level of protection due to the huge vaccine roll out.

But scientists from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US say Pirola’s high number of mutations could mean it’s effective at bypassing immunity from jabs and previous infection.

Covid has killed more than 6.9million people globally since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, with more than 768million confirmed cases since the virus emerged. 

The WHO ended the global emergency status for Covid in May this year.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid, said EG.5 is more transmissible but not more severe than other Omicron variants.

She said: “We don’t detect a change in severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of Omicron that have been in circulation since late 2021.”

What are the five “red flag” symptoms of Eris?

Eris is a strain of Omicron, which has five hallmark signs, according to the ZOE study.

These are:

1. Runny nose
2. Headache
3. Fatigue (mild or severe)
4. Sneezing
5. Sore throat