Britain raises virus alert level, warning of high infection rate

London – UK healthcare professionals raised the country’s COVID-19 warning level on Monday, saying the virus was prevalent and highly contagious. The move is coming as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce further restrictions designed to slow the spread of the virus on Tuesday.

Chief medical officers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland warned third to fourth, second, on the advice of the Joint Biosecurity Center that cases were increasing “rapidly and perhaps exponentially” Raised to the second highest level.

The change happened hours after other British healthcare professionals warned the general public that they needed to make more sacrifices to control the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a national television briefing, Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Valence and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the number of new COVID-19 cases is now 7 days after a slow increase in new infections during the summer. It is doubling every time. They said that if nothing was done now to stop the tide, new infections could increase 10-fold to nearly 50,000 on the 1st of next month.

In other countries, the increase in such infections quickly led to an increase in mortality.“In a very bad way, it literally turned the corner,” Whitty added, after a few weeks of increased infection.

Whitty emphasized the rising prevalence of infections in all age groups and said it was unacceptable for individuals to ignore health guidelines or engage in dangerous activities. Infection among young and healthy people inevitably spreads to friends, family and ultimately the most vulnerable people in society, so everyone must play their part in delaying the spread of the disease. No, he said.

“This is not the problem of others. This is all of our problems.”

According to Johns Hopkins University, the UK is already the highest pandemic in Europe with the highest death toll, with more than 41,800 dead. According to experts, all of these numbers underestimate the true impact of a pandemic due to limited testing and other factors.

More than 4,300 new infections were reported on Monday, a level not seen since early May. The maximum number of new infectious diseases per day in the UK peaked on April 5 at 6,199.

The current mortality rate remains relatively low for now, but Whitti warned that deaths are likely to increase in the coming weeks. The UK reported an average of 21 deaths last week for seven days a day, with a peak of 942 on April 10.

These numbers include only deaths directly related to COVID-19. If emergency services are overwhelmed by the coronavirus case and the National Health Department has to divert resources from the treatment of other illnesses, the actual tolls can be much higher, Whitti said.

But Whitty said the new restrictions must balance economic and social implications. Deprivation and increased mental illness also lead to death.

“The decision-making minister, and society as a whole, must go through this very difficult balance. If we are too few, the virus will go out of control and a significant number of direct and indirect deaths will occur. “Increases,” he said, “if we go too far, it can damage the economy, which can lead to unemployment, poverty and poverty.”

Vallance vaccine Continue and it is It’s not yet clear if they will work, Research is pointing in the right direction. He also said that “small doses in certain groups” of vaccines could be available by the end of the year.

The British government did not impose a complete blockade last week in northeastern England, where infection rates first began to rise. Instead, bars and restaurants were ordered to close at 10 pm and people were banned from dating other households.

Lockdown threat hits stocks on Monday Stocks in aviation, hospitality and travel companies were hit. British Airways parent company IAG’s stake fell 11.3%, pub company Mitchells & Butlers fell 11%, and Intercontinental Hotels Group fell 4%.

Dr. Michael Head, a global health expert at the University of Southampton, said Monday’s warning highlighted the worst possible situation and did not consider local lockdowns that could stop the virus from spreading.

“It’s important to note that key healthcare professionals have stated that the possibility of 50,000 cases a day is a’worst case scenario’.” Globally and here in the UK. “

The rise in the UK’s infection rate is caused by political lawmakers criticizing the Conservative test program for being inadequate. While the minister advertises a record number of tests being conducted, people who have to travel hundreds of miles for the test or the test is invalidated because it takes too long to process. There are widespread reports that it is.

An app aimed at enhancing the virus contact tracking effort will be released this week after a few months delay.

Hoping to convince people to stay home, the government has announced that it will pay low-income earners £ 500 ($ 639) if they are asked to self-isolate for 14 days. It also warned of quarantine that could break fines that could amount to thousands of pounds (dollars).

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