The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said positivity had risen from 7.6 to 8.4 per cent in just a week, while admissions increased from 2.0 to 2.73 per 100,000.

In the US, nationwide Covid wastewater levels, used to measure the community spread of a virus, are ‘moderate,’ according to the CDC, but four states are recording ‘very high’ levels and those in the northeast region are on the rise.

Dr Aaron Glatt, a US-based infectious disease expert, told Today.com that patients were complaining of ‘severe pain — as if their throat is covered with razor blades’.

He added: ‘While not specific to Covid-19, this expression has been used to describe sore throat symptoms in some patients with the most recent Covid-19 variant.’

But the new strains can also cause