UK IS OVER WORST OF COVID, BUT BEWARE OF BUMPS ON THE ROAD, EXPERT WARNS

Mon 24 January 2022:

According to a UK scientist who helped shape the lockdown strategy, Britain has passed the worst phase of the pandemic, but it should be prepared for some “possible bumps in the road.”

Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London is an epidemiologist.

In a report by The Guardian, he said, “I am optimistic that the bulk of the pandemic, in terms of deaths and hospitalisations, is behind us. Though we should still be prepared for some possible bumps on the road.”

He further added that if any new variants arise, which is highly likely, they may have a lesser impact than Omicron.

“The very high level of immunity in the UK population – acquired via both vaccination and infection – means that the risk of a new variant causing unmanageable levels of healthcare demand is much reduced,” he said.

Omicron variant of coronavirus had badly hit the nation. In early January, Britain’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that one in 15 people were estimated to have been infected with Covid until December 31 in England.

“COVID-19 infection rates continued to increase across all age groups in England with the highest rates still seen in school-age children and young adults,” ONS said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had recently announced that Plan B measures in the UK would be lifted as cases were dipping.

Speaking about the same Ferguson said, “Restrictions are always a trade-off between infection control and economic cost. However, given that case numbers are in decline in all regions and that hospitalisations are starting to drop, I don’t think lifting restrictions poses a large risk of causing a major resurgence. Though obviously trends will need to continue to be monitored closely.”

Ministers will drop ‘Plan B’ measures in England on Thursday, after Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he believed the country was over the peak of Omicron.

The changes mean face masks will no longer be mandated and that vaccine passports will be dropped. The government has already removed its work from home guidance in England.

UK daily Covid cases have almost halved compared to a fortnight ago, according to the latest data, with a further 74,799 cases reported Sunday.

The figures show that a further 75 Brits have died within 28 days of having a positive test, down from a fortnight ago when 97 deaths were recorded.

The figure for new cases is almost half that of a fortnight ago, when 141,472 cases were recorded. Sunday’s infection figure was also lower than the previous day’s tally of 76,807.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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