Overview

• UKHSA reports test positivity rose from 7.6% to 8.4% in a week, with hospital admissions increasing from 2.0 to 2.73 per 100,000.
• CDC wastewater monitoring shows moderate national levels in the U.S., with four states at very high levels and growth in the Northeast.
• Clinicians are seeing intense sore throat and hoarseness in recent cases, and experts report no evidence of increased severity versus prior strains.
• Health agencies advise people with symptoms to stay home or wear a mask if they must go out, and promote boosters for older adults, immunocompromised people, care‑home residents, pregnant people and children.
• Scientists dismiss a recent South Korean paper alleging a vaccine–cancer link, citing no credible evidence that COVID-19 vaccines promote tumors.