New Covid variants are driving a rise in cases with the FLiRT and FLuQE strains rapidly becoming dominant in the UK, USA and other parts of the world.
In the UK, hospitals have brought back mask-wearing in a bid to drive down cases as wards are full and the number of hospitalisations with Covid rises again.
The FLiRT and FLuQE variants of Covid are now believed to be responsible for a 24 per cent increase in hospital admissions related to the virus last month and currently account for about 40 per cent of all Covid cases in the UK.
It is feared the strains may be increasing reports of hay fever symptoms. The NHS estimates that around 20 per cent of UK residents will experience hay fever reactions this summer, following a mid-June report which saw a 147 per cent increase in hayfever sufferers seeking NHS advice, reports the Daily Star.