- People in the United Kingdom have been living under lockdown for the past three weeks.
- They hope their sacrifice would bring the country’s latest coronavirus surge — caused by the new, more contagious variant of the virus — under control.
- But despite the harsh restrictions, case numbers are not dropping as fast as experts have hoped.
- Deaths continue to rise and public health experts and government are starting to warn people that the country will be in this battle for the long run.
A recent CNN news article reveals that the short harsh lockdown might not be enough to beat the new contagious variant of covid 19 virus.
The harsh impact of new variant virus
The new variant, known as B.1.1.7, has wreaked havoc in the UK, fueling a surge in cases towards the end of 2020 despite a national lockdown being in place.
Data showing an uptick in cases in younger people suggests this was largely because schools had stayed open, enabling the variant to spread rapidly.
Deadliest period
January 4 – England reported nearly 70,000 new infections
Between December 29 & January 11 – The country’s worst 10 days of the entire pandemic happened
Between January 9 & 18 – The country reported more than 1,000 deaths each day, something that has only happened once before.
January 1 – The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases dropped from the height of above 60,000 to 40,000.
However, it will likely take time for the impact to be felt in hospitals.
“It may well mean, for example, that any lockdown may have to be in place for longer than would have been the case with the old variant,” Authorities said.
The government under pressure
The government has also found itself under pressure to compensate people who need to self-isolate.
A government-backed study published in September found that only 18% of people adhered to the self-isolation rules and suggested financial compensation might bring that number up.
Top government officials have repeatedly said it is far too early to speculate about easing lockdown measures which are now scheduled to be in place until March, and possibly into the summer.
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Source: CNN
