Data from the UK government, published on Tuesday 8 March 2022, reveals that there were 61,900 new positive tests over 24 hours, up by 58.7% on Tuesday’s figure of 39,000. The combined infections on Saturday, Sunday and Monday were also 54% higher than the total over the three days the previous week. Approximately 42,000 cases were reported over those three days, an increase from 27,400 the week before.

In Wales, the rate of infection is now showing an upward trend. While the seven-day infection rate reached a low of 166 cases for every 100,000 people on 28 February, this number has risen since then. The latest data suggests it will have been above 200 in recent days.

Hospital data has also shown that COVID-19 hospitalisations have continued to increase to 1,253 on 4 March, marking a 23.4% rise from the week before. Hospitals in the south west of England are recording more daily COVID-19 admissions now than during the height of the Omicron wave.

This spike in infections can be attributed to the ending of legal restrictions in England. As of 24 February, all COVID-19 restrictions were scrapped, while free mass testing will stopped on 1 April.

In the 15 minutes after receiving your first COVID-19 vaccine shot, you are usually instructed by a healthcare professional to wait for 15 minutes prior to departing. Meanwhile, vaccine recipients are seated while under medical observation until the waiting period has passed.

During this period, health experts have been monitoring the development of any potential adverse allergic reactions to the vaccine. Dr Caroline Goldzweig of Cedars Sinai, shared: “The most serious side effect is an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which has occurred in a small number of people. While anaphylaxis is rare, people are asked to stay at the vaccine site 15 minutes after getting their shot so the staff can make sure they’re okay.”

A recent study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, examined data from adults who had an immediate allergic response to the first dose of the vaccine. Researchers discovered that the chances of recipients experiencing an immediate allergic response to the second dose are minimal.

Researchers combined their results with other studies, and they found that out of the nearly 1,300 patients reviewed, 14% had a mild allergic reaction to the second shot, and 99% tolerated the second shot well, according to HealthDay. Only four patients were found to have the same severe allergic response to the second dose.

Valneva expects to receive a positive CHMP recommendation for the conditional approval of VLA2001 – for primary immunisation in adults 18 to 55 years of age – at the end of the first quarter of 2022. In the wake of conditional approval, the company anticipates the delivery of the first shipments to European countries early in the second quarter of the year.

CEO of Valneva, Thomas Lingelbach, remarked: “We are pleased with the initial CHMP assessment and look forward to providing our responses as soon as possible. VLA2001 is the only inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in clinical development in Europe and this brings us closer to our objective of providing a differentiated vaccine option to the population and physicians who need it.”

The vaccine is intended for the active immunisation of at-risk populations, to prevent symptomatic infection with COVID-19. It consists of inactivated whole virus particles of SARS-CoV-2 with high S-protein density, in combination with two adjuvants, alum and CpG 1018.

This combination has demonstrated high antibody levels across numerous preclinical experiments. It is expected to conform with standard cold chain requirements – two to eight degrees celsius – thereby creating greater ease of distribution.