Britain is heading into winter with the number of Covid cases remaining at a worryingly high level, reports a Guardian news source.
Present Situation
Employees are being encouraged to return to their workplaces, which will also drive up infections.
New Covid cases are being reported at a rate of about 35,000 a day – though Britain’s vaccination program has kept hospitalizations to below the 7,000 level with fewer than 200 deaths occurring every day.
Winter worries Hibberd
“In winter, cases of respiratory disease go up and we need to have as many vaccinations as possible to keep that increase from becoming a real problem. However, there has been no sign of vaccination programs beginning at schools and that is surely a missed opportunity. We need to vaccinate as many pupils as possible before November, but not much appears to be happening. That is something to worry about”, says Professor Martin Hibberd, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Woolhouse remarks
Woolhouse added that people were still limiting the number of contacts they had with others. However, as we return to normality, those contacts will return to higher levels and that will create more opportunities for the virus to be transmitted.
“It is unlikely some of the worst predictions that were made over summer about the course of the pandemic over autumn and winter are going to happen. However, I would certainly be much more comfortable, if we could get case numbers to start going down shortly.”
In addition, there is the danger that a new strain of the Covid-19 virus could emerge in the coming months, one that is even more transmissible or more able to avoid protection provided by vaccines.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: The Guardian
