How the UK is dealing with the second wave

How Britain entered and exited the country’s blockade

March 23, Boris Johnson Put Britain in a thorough police blockade Countermeasures In the fight against the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The prime minister ordered people to leave the house under a “very limited purpose” list, banned mass gatherings, and ordered the closure of non-essential stores.

Johnson announced a Phase 2 strategy on May 10 that outlined the gradual relaxation of restrictions rather than a complete lift of the blockade. However, Response to his speech It was fierce, with many accusing the Prime Minister of confusing the British people.

On May 11, Johnson announced a “roadmap” to lift the blockade and set out a three-step strategy to gradually lift the current restrictions.

Johnson later on May 28 5 tests to facilitate blockade I confirmed that I met A gathering of up to 6 people It may be held in an outdoor space from June 1st.

Johnson welcomed the beginning of the end of Britain’s “hibernation” on June 23, just three months after the country was blocked.

The prime minister even allowed family and friends to interact indoors and even go on holidays together from July 4th. this day is, Super SaturdayI saw it again Pub, Restaurants and hairdressers have reopened. This is because the rule of social distance of 2 meters has been shortened to 1 meter.

However, Chief Health Officer Chris Whitty warned that many of the new social distance measurements must continue to be performed “until this time next year” because the coronavirus vaccine is still far away.

July 17, Mr. Johnson Roadmap to end the blockade, The rest of the leisure facilities have been reopened and all beauty treatments can be reopened from August 1st. Johnson also relaxed the official guidance to advise people: “Working from home if possible” To restart the economy.

The government is keen to avoid another total blockade. However, preventing a country blockade depends on how effectively the government can respond to a rapid rise in infection rates in multiple parts of the United Kingdom.

As of September 14, rallies of more than 6 people are banned in the UK. The government has introduced these rigorous new measures to counter the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates.

September 22, Prime Minister Announced many new measures This includes a curfew at 10 pm in pubs and restaurants, a maximum of 15 people at weddings, and working from home for office workers. These may be valid until March, a year after the start of the blockade.

On October 12, Johnson announced a new three-tier system for local lockdown, as the proportion of new cases showed no signs of slowing down.

Faced with an increase in infection, Johnson announced a new national blockade across the United Kingdom on Saturday, October 31, after a surge in coronavirus cases. The new action will take effect on Thursday, November 5th and will continue until Wednesday, December 2nd.

As expected, if the country’s blockade is eased on December 2, the country will continue to comply with the restrictions of the previous hierarchical system.

On November 11th, the Ministry of Education introduced the “Student Travel Window” between December 3rd and 9th. During this period, the university should plan staggered departures for students for Christmas so as not to overload public transport.

How can we prevent another blockade in the future?

On November 9th, the UK welcomed the following news: Exciting new coronavirus vaccine From Germany known as the Pfizer vaccine. This scientific advance, which is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19, has the potential to prevent the blockade of the country in the future.

On November 20, Pfizer / BioNTech sent a vaccine in the United States for urgent approval. The vaccine is the first to be submitted for such a procedure and will be shipped “within hours” of approval. This means that the UK may begin vaccination by early December.

Moderna has also revealed vaccines that are up to 95% effective in trials. In combination with the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines, British authorities have ordered enough shots to vaccinate most of the population.

Since the majority of the population is vaccinated, blockades can be avoided in the future.

However, despite this promising breakthrough, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for caution, as the vaccine is still “very, very early”. Johnson then emphasized the need for current blockade restrictions, stating:

“The biggest mistake we can make right now is to relax our determination at a critical moment.”

“This winter is tough, so it won’t have a big impact on the number of infections,” Professor Ugur Shahin told the BBC.

Professor Sahin admitted that he expected the patient’s antibody response to “decrease over time,” but denied the idea of ​​combining vaccines for people who had lost their immune response.

Professor Robin Chatok, head of the Imperial College Vaccine Program, also told Sky that “one vaccine is not enough” to tackle Covid-19.

“For many reasons, we need as many vaccine candidates as possible,” he said.

“I don’t know if [the Pfizer vaccine] The more vaccine candidates, the better the toolbox, as it works in all different groups. “

Professor Shattock described distributing the vaccine to the most vulnerable groups as a “very complex operation” while convincing the public that the vaccine is safe.

“I think the biggest danger we have now with vaccination is that people may not take it seriously,” he added. “Until enough people have been vaccinated, we need to remind people that it’s not all over and that they really know it works.”

Danish coronavirus mutations associated with mink It can also affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Professor Wendy Berkeley-Imperial virology scientists on the government’s Sage Commission have expressed her concern.

“If there are mutations that affect how the antibody sees the virus, the vaccine we are currently producing will probably not work as well as we expected,” she said. Andrew Marr Show..

“But this can be a fairly one-off situation. It doesn’t mean that the vaccine doesn’t work at all. If this seems to be the case, a very adaptable and responsive vaccine platform is possible. It will be the best of the various platforms.

“We really need to understand if these mutations have a significant impact on the workings of these antibodies.”

New guidance issued by US health authorities It also provides insight into why the outbreak of Covid-19 is more severe in European countries such as the United Kingdom.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that cloth masks help protect the wearer from coronavirus infections, not just those around them. The guidelines go far beyond the previous declaration that masks should be worn with others in mind, and state that they prevent the wearer from inhaling water droplets that carry the virus.

Health agencies may be unable to quickly grasp the importance of mask protection in the United States and European countries, which may be the reason why the outbreak of Covid-19 is much worse than in Asian countries that quickly suppressed the virus. Suggested that there is sex.