What is the new Covid variant responsible for a rise in hospital admissions?

A warning has been issued by scientists as hospital admissions in the UK rise due to a new Covid variant.

In the past week, the number of hospitalisations has risen by 24 per cent in the week to Sunday, from 2.67 people per 100,000 to 3.31 per 100,000, as per the latest statistics from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

But what is the variant that is causing this increase?

The variant KP.3 is thought to be responsible, and this variant first emerged back in April and is part of a new group of Covid-19 variants, known as FLiRT.

Three variants from FLiRT (KP.1.1, KP.3 and KP.2) are the cause of 40 per cent of all Covid cases in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency data.

While infections in May were the result of KP.2, the source of this latest rise is KP.3 as the number of infections being reported as KP.3 has doubled to 44 per cent in less than two weeks.

The demographic with the highest hospital admission is still those over the age of 85, with a rise to 34.70 per 100,000, while there also has been increases in other age groups such as people aged 65 to 74.

This new spread is a consequence of the population's immunity weakening, uptake for the spring booster that's available for people who are vulnerable was lower this year compared to 2023.

The number of positive Covid tests has increased 19 per cent in a week (8.4 to 10 per cent) as per UKHSA figures.

"This is a wake up call," Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, toldi: “The virus hasn’t gone away and is certainly not a seasonal infection.

“A combination of new, more infectious virus variants and waning immunity is very likely contributing to these increased levels of infection. The hope is that this will not result in a big wave of infection but we need to keep a close watch.

Professor Steve Griffin, of Leeds University, said: "Another wave [of Covid] is building," and noted the "considerable difference" between the vaccine and the current variants that are spreading.

Across the pond, the KP.3 variant is also circulating in the US and currently makes up 25 per cent of Covid cases, followed by KP.2 at 22.5 per cent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.