Covid cases are on the rise again around Swindon as a summer spread scuppers plans for holidays.

Since May 19, 2023, when the World Health Organisation declared that Covid-19 was no longer a “global health emergency” but remained a significant threat, much of the world has carried on as normal.

But the arrival of a new group of coronavirus variants known as FliRT has led to a significant spike in new cases.

Up to mid-July, 3,557 infections and 192 deaths were recorded in the UK. Since then, infections have been fluctuating under 500 cases per week.

In June, 11 new cases were reported in Swindon, then there was a lull in the first half of July before around half a dozen more were recorded during the second half of the month.

In the seven days up to July 24, there were 1.71 new cases per 100,000 population. In the week up to July 12, 2024, 197 Covid-related deaths were reported around England.

WHAT COVID WAS LIKE FOR ME SECOND TIME AROUND

There may well be several other people who have had Covid recently without officially recording it – like this reporter, for example.

On Saturday, July 21, I started coughing and spluttering in a way that foretold of something worse than the usual cold and felt a mixture of surprise and deja-vu.

A faint positive line appearing next to the C after 20 minutes proved that I did indeed have Covid again, though it was a less strong result than my first case in February 2023, when the test had shown a thick red line almost immediately.

What followed was more than a day of unpleasantly hot-cold skin-prickling sensations, nearly a week with a painfully dry mouth, an exhaustion so overwhelming that it was hard to think straight or muster up the motivation to move, and being unable to croak out more than two words without triggering an unpleasant coughing fit.

Despite all that, this second round was mercifully milder than the first, and by Thursday I felt well enough to work again, though an irritating tickly cough remained for several days after I stopped testing positive.

So take some precautions, test yourself after attending large gatherings, use hand sanitiser, and perhaps wear a face mask while outdoors if you feel particularly vulnerable.

Better safe than sorry.