According to the National Health Service (NHS), as of 08:00 local time on Wednesday, as many as 7,024 coronavirus-infected people have been admitted to English hospitals, accounting for a rising 37% over the 5,142 reported previous week.

Since early-2022, the British government has lifted all restrictions in force due to the pandemic and ordered to shut down the free diagnostic centers, so the NHS bases its calculations on information provided by hospitals and on weekly surveys by the Office for National Statistics.

As of September 14, one in 70 people in England had shown Covid-19 symptoms.

To prevent a fresh massive wave, local health authorities started off by applying a fourth booster dose to over-50s, front-line workers and those with immune problems.

The over-65s will also be eligible for a “bivalent” dose that protects from coronavirus and its Omicron variant.

UK, Europe´s most hit by the pandemic, has reached 20 million infections and 177,977 deaths since the first case was reported back in February 2020.

Out of its 68.6 million inhabitants, nearly 51 million are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and over 40 million have received the third booster dose, according to official data.

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