Covid - how worried should we be this time?
Levels of Covid infections are up. The virus has mutated into new variants which can re-infect our bodies. Is it time to start worrying about Coronavirus again?
More than two years after the emergence of Covid, infection levels are high once again. The Office for National Statistics estimates that 2.7 million people, or 1 in 25 of us, have got Coronavirus.
There’s concern too about new Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 – mutations which help the virus re-infect our bodies.
But how worried should we actually be this time? Are the mutations normal or an alarming new development? And how much of a threat does Coronavirus still face to the NHS?
Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:
James Gallagher, Â鶹Éç Health and Science Correspondent
Gideon Skinner, Head of Politics Research in Public Affairs at Ipsos
Miriam Deakin, Director of Policy and Stategy of NHS Providers
Meaghan Kall, Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency
Neil Ferguson, Head of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College, London.
Producers: Tim Mansel, Kirsteen Knight and Simon Watts. Editor: Richard Vadon. Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed & Helena Warwick-Cross
Last on
More episodes
What's wrong with the NHS, and how do we fix it?
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the problems with the NHS and how to solve them.
How do we learn to live with Covid?
As Plan B Covid restrictions end how do we transition to a society that lives with Covid?
Living in a Variant World
Where do Covid variants like Omicron come from? And what makes a variant dangerous?
Broadcast
- Thu 14 Jul 2022 20:00Â鶹Éç Radio 4 FM
Podcast
-
The Briefing Room
David Aaronovitch presents in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.