'Everyone's so sick right now'

Coughs and colds are rampant at the moment

- By OWEN HUGHES Chief Reporter

COUGHS and colds are rampant at the moment, with sore throats and streaming noses galore. It seems that people are either ill themselves or know someone who is.

It's not unusual for a spike in viruses and bugs as we enter autumn - with Covid joining the usual mix of winter conditions that tend to increase as the temperatures drop.

‘This happens from a combination of children returning to school, adults back at work after the summer break and people spending more time indoors as the weather turns cooler.

“This is normal; it's autumn, after all,” Prof Jonathan Ball, from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.

‘The general consensus that more people are currently coughing and sniffling is backed up the statistics.

Rhinovirus (common cold) cases are up with positivity increased slightly to 17.2% according to the UK Health Security Agency.

‘The highest positivity is in those aged under five years at 42.5%.

‘There are specific Wales figures when it comes to lots of other bugs, from Covid to norovirus. They are all on an upward trajectory - although nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year.

The number of confirmed cases of community acquired Covid-19 admitted to hospital increased to 68 (53 in the previous week) and there were 374 inpatient cases of confirmed Covid-19, six of whom were in critical care compared with 291 and five in the previous week.

Confirmed cases of positive tests increased to 19% in hospital and non-sentinel GP practices in the most recent week (week 40) compared with 14% in the previous week.

Consultations with Sentinel GPs and sentinel community pharmacies for Covid-19 increased in the most recent week.