AN Oxfordshire public health leader said we need to learn how to live with the virus, as the covid cases in the county continue to rise.
The number of cases went from 1948 to 2100 in one week, an increase of 7.8 per cent, putting the infection rate at 301.3 per 100,000 of the population.
Two more people died with the virus in Oxford in the past week, bringing the total number up to 206.
READ MORE: Oxford hospitals bring back restrictions as covid cases rise
Despite the increase in cases, Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council's director of public health, said that “blanket measures” would not be the right decision.
He said: “Case rates have been rising significantly since April – we do have high rates of covid compared to where we were in March but it’s not at the level we saw back in January or December last year with the arrival of Omicron.
“The current case rates are largely driven by the sub-variant of Omicron which is more transmissible. This particular variant seems to reflect a wider range of symptoms.
“Hospital admissions have gone up, almost close to where we were back in January but the difference is that only one third of those hospital admissions are coming due to covid.
“The message to the public is that we will see this type of fluctuation in the next few years as we learn to live with covid and this won’t be the last sub-variant.
READ MORE: Number of Oxfordshire GPs on the rise despite national shortage
“That doesn’t mean we will then come up with specific blanket measures because that in itself will cause a lot of disruption.
“As we see this type of increases, you will hear the message that case rates are going up and as we see this increase we will expect businesses, social and education sectors to be aware of this rise and take relevant action that is proportionate within their settings.
“I think it’s important that we learn how to do that because we are going to have to live with this for a good part of the next decade.
“As we see covid rising we can’t keep introducing new blanket measures so it becomes part of your business’ contingency and I think that is really important.
READ MORE: Two more people died of covid in Oxford as cases rise
“Going into winter we are going to see other infectious diseases and we are going to face other challenges. Whether is covid or flu, we need to be mindful of those diseases and apply the lesson that we have learnt so that we can protect ourselves and the communities around us.
“That is not necessarily about introducing new measures, it’s about applying sensible precautions.
“Vaccination still remains the single most effective way to protect ourselves – the main message for those who have not yet received a vaccination is that it’s never too late to come forward.”
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This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi
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