Thousands protest UK blockade restrictions as Covid-19 numbers skyrocket | 1 News

It is in the midst of a large-scale protest against the ongoing blockade of Britain.

According to government statistics, an additional 18,270 people are virus-positive across the UK, the highest number per day since February 5. In the past week, nearly 100,000 people have been positive, up about 50% from the previous week. This raises questions about whether the blockade restrictions will end as planned.

Daily cases have increased significantly over the past few weeks as a result of the delta mutation, first identified in India and considered by government scientists to be 40% to 80% more contagious than previous predominant strains. doing. This describes almost every new case in the UK.

Most of the newly identified cases belong to the younger age group who have not yet been vaccinated with Covid-19. The recent surge occurred when hundreds of walk-in vaccination sites, including stadiums and shopping centers, were opened in the United Kingdom over the weekend to increase the number of vaccines, especially among the younger age group.

“This is a phenomenal achievement, and it’s great to see so many young people stepping forward in search of jabs and working little by little to protect themselves and their loved ones.” Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said.

The spread of varieties has overturned the Conservative government’s plan to lift all remaining restrictions on social contact in Britain this week. The plan is to lift these restrictions on July 19, but whether or not to do so can depend heavily on whether the deployment of the vaccine has created a firewall that protects the most vulnerable. Other parts of the UK (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) are following similar plans.

The rapid deployment of vaccines is expected to lose the link between infectious diseases and those that require hospitalization and subsequently die. As of today, nearly two-thirds of the UK population has been vaccinated at least once, and 48% have been vaccinated twice.

According to a recent analysis of the UK Public Health Service, the two doses of the main vaccines used by the UK are very effective for hospitalization with delta variants. 96% for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 92% for AstraZeneca jab.

Over the past few weeks, the number of people in hospitals and dying has continued to grow, but not at the same rate as infectious diseases. Today, the government has announced that an additional 227 people have been hospitalized, bringing the total to 1,505. This is far from the 40,000 level recorded earlier this year at the peak of the second surge. The number of virus-related deaths was relatively low at 23, and the total number of deaths was 128,089.

Today, when thousands of anti-blocking protesters marched through central London, concerns about vaccines were heard. Some have thrown tennis balls into Downing Street, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offices and residences. Some people said it was “embarrassing.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Matt Hancock resigned after breaking the rules of social distance with his allegedly related aide. The tabloid Sun newspaper posted an image of married Hancock and senior aide Gina Coradangero appearing to be kissing at the Ministry of Health’s office.

In a letter to Johnson, Hancock said the government “should be honest with those who have made many sacrifices in this pandemic when we disappointed them.”

Johnson faced a widespread call to dismiss Hancock, who apologized for violating the rules of social distance. Coradangero was Hancock’s friend at the time with him at Oxford University and was appointed to his undergraduate school last year.

“The last thing I want is to divert attention from the single focus that personal life is guiding us from this crisis,” Hancock said in his resignation.

“I would like to apologize again for breaking the guidance and for letting my family and loved ones pass it, and I need to be with my children at this time.”