Forty-one people died of Covid in the UK in the most recent seven-day data period released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as cases and hospital admissions also rose week on week.
Cases of Covid increased 13.5% week on week to October 7, according to UKHSA data. Covid deaths were up 46.4% week on week to October 2, and hospital admissions rose 33.5%.
XFG variant accounts for over half of hospital cases
For September, the UKHSA revealed that the rate of positive Covid tests in hospitals increased from 5.9% to 7%, and more than half were found to be the American Covid or Stratus variant of XFG. This variant was first identified last January and has since spread globally.
The latest UKHSA Covid dashboard figures show that the number of deaths per week has been steadily rising over the past month, with 41 to October 2, from 28 on September 25, up from 20 on September 18 and 11 and just six on September 4.
Weekly Covid death toll since August
The weekly death figures are as follows: October 2: 41; September 25: 28; September 18: 20; September 11: 20; September 4: 6; August 28: 8; August 21: 8; August 14: 8; August 7: 10; July 31: 7.
Covid deaths still have not hit the same peak as this time last year. For the week ending October 3, 2025, Covid deaths hit 102.
NHS lists symptoms to look out for
Covid, as with other viral infections like flu and norovirus, tends to spread most during colder weather, which is why winter usually sees the largest peak in cases as temperatures begin to drop.
According to the NHS, these are the symptoms of Covid to look out for, which includes American Covid strains: a high temperature – you may feel hot, cold or shivery, or your skin is hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature); a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours; a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste; shortness of breath; feeling tired or exhausted; an aching body; a headache; a sore throat; a blocked or runny nose; loss of appetite; diarrhoea; feeling sick or being sick.
