The test velocity has been fairly stable now for long enough to establish the delta variant R rate is significantly higher than with the previous variants. We

The test velocity has been fairly stable now for long enough to establish the delta variant R rate is significantly higher than with the previous variants. We are definitely doing more testing in the UK than a year ago and it’s likely reflected in the case stats, but at the same time the rate of case growth during the last few weeks looks like a straight line up and that’s not a good thing. We will likely see fewer hospitalisations than before due to a fairly successful vaccination effort, particularly with the edlerly, but as cases go up so does the number of people who may not die but end up with long covid. Also, the more people infected, the better breeding ground for the virus to develop new variants, and a higher chance of vaccine escape due to evolutionary pressure.