Fourth wave of Covid fears as hospital admissions rise 48% in a week

Latest figures show the number of people sick in hospital with Covid-19 has risen to more than 7,000 as the UKHSA urged Britons eligible to book their booster and flu shots

The number of people with Covid in hospital has jumped (

Image: Getty Images)

The UK is feared to be in the midst of another wave of Covid, as hospital admissions have nearly doubled in a week.

The latest figures show that the number of patients testing positive for coronavirus has increased by 48% compared to seven days ago.

Fears have already been expressed within the medical community that colder weather is approaching which could boost the numbers.

Now a total of 7,024 people with coronavirus were in hospital as of 8am on September 28, according to NHS England.

The number is half of the 14,000 in mid-July at the height of the wave of infections caused by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the virus.

More than 7,000 people have tested positive in hospital (

Picture:

NurPhoto via Getty Images)

This comes as recent data from the ZOE Health Study suggests that on average one in 32 people in the UK were likely to have symptomatic Covid-19 at the start of this week.

Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of the ZOE study, said: "It is clear that we are now seeing an autumn wave of Covid-19, combined with an increase in hospital admissions.

"With rising rates, particularly in vulnerable older age groups, the impact on hospitalizations could be greater.

“However, the youngest age group is showing possible early signs of a slowdown in the number of cases.