Covid to 'knock people out for days or weeks' this winter

Covid is likely to make lots of people “nastily” ill and “knock them out for several days or weeks" a leading medical professor has warned.

Professor Peter Openshaw, from Imperial College London, told the BBC that most people having fewer antibodies would lead to worsening bouts of the disease this winter.

He joined other medical experts in forecasting that more people will become very unwell with the virus because it has been so long since many of us have been vaccinated or infected, which also tops up immunity.

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“The thing that made the huge difference before was the very wide and fast rollout of vaccines - even young adults managed to get vaccinated, and that made an absolutely huge difference."

But Prof Openshaw said he thinks the result of fewer people being offered the vaccine in 2023 will be “a lot of people having a pretty nasty illness that is going to knock them out for several days or weeks” this winter.

Last winter all over-50s could have the vaccine if they wanted it, but now it is only being offered to over-65s and those of all ages that are considered vulnerable, a government decision aimed at relieving pressure on health services.

According to Wales Online, another professor - immunologist professor Eleanor Riley, who works at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I think the consequence of not boosting those people is we have more people who are off work for a week or two or three over winter.”

Prof Riley explained how, if you are feeling particularly poorly with Covid, it could be due to fewer antibodies as well