Lockdown provided breathing space. I can’t afford to waste it.

As the US continues to struggle with containment Record number of coronavirus cases, European countries have focused on returning to a normal sense. Bars, restaurants and shops have been reopened. Travel restrictions have been lifted. Workers commute to the office and tourists are slowly returning to beach resorts and other popular destinations.

In the UK, the number of coronavirus cases is mainly Flat Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been a potential candidate in the last few weeks, despite the country loosening lockdown restrictions. Timeline Most of the remaining constraints on daily life, including social distance, will be lifted by autumn.

“I’m hoping that we’ll be able to review outstanding limits early in November and bring them back to normal significantly.” Said On Friday.

One can even imagine such a rosy scenario because of the immense sacrifice of millions of people across Europe and the first wave of the virus since the March blockade. Due to the widespread cooperation between scientists and politicians on how to deal with.

But it also comes with a big premonition. World wide, Over 600,000 people died As a result of coronaviruses, and pandemics show few signs of letting go. In fact, doctors and scientists warn that autumn and winter can be even more deadly. Cold weather forces people to spend more time indoors, and a combination of coronaviruses and seasonal diseases such as influenza can overwhelm public health systems.

However, the gap between economic-minded politicians and public health professionals appears to be widening at this crucial time when government and science should work together.

“Frankly, too many countries are heading in the wrong direction.” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week. “If the basics aren’t followed, this pandemic is the only way to go. The method gets worse and worse, but it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Scientists have declared a victory over the coronavirus and say that instead of promising a return to “old normal”, the country needs to do everything possible to confront the second wave.

“I think we really need to be prepared for the winter months to come,” said Professor Ravi Gupta of the Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cambridge. Huff Post told UK “[There is a] There is widespread recognition that things aren’t as bad as they used to be, and people see it as positive, but the reality is still in a very dangerous place. “

The idea that we should take action now to avoid the second surge of COVID-19, last week, To report From the Academy of Medical Sciences commissioned by Sir Patrick Valence, Chief Medical Advisor to the British Government.

About 120,000 people can die in the UK Reportedly, without efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus this winter, more than double the current death toll.

“At the moment we have a relatively small number of cases of COVID-19, so it’s important to be prepared for the worst winter that could happen to us,” said Stephen Holgate, clinical professor of immunopharmacology at the Medical Research Council. It’s an opportunity.” The person who led the advisory group that produced the report.

The report called on the government to step up coronavirus testing, identify outbreaks quickly, and improve surveillance measures to make influenza vaccines more widely available.

Azra Ghani, chair of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London, said many factors could potentially increase coronavirus infection rates in the coming months.

“We consider the worst possible situations, such as further intervention mitigation, more contacts, school factors, people returning to work or doing that kind of thing. I am doing it,” she said. PA news agency. “These things create more contact. In addition, people indoors want more and more people to meet indoors.”

Garni, who also worked on the report, said the virus is known to spread more easily indoors.

“Of course, during the winter you spend much more time indoors than in the summer,” she said.

On Friday, Johnson announced that the UK government would increase its test capacity to 500,000 coronavirus tests per day by November, and National Health Services would prepare an additional £3 billion (or about £3) to prepare for a possible second wave. Will receive US$3.8 billion. In winter.

Still, the British Medical Association blamed the government’s mixed message of wearing face masks and other measures to limit the spread of coronaviruses, and the second wave of infection could be “catastrophic to the NHS.” Said yes. Parents report.

Alison Pittard, head of Intensive Care Medicine, also warned that the NHS could be “overwhelmed” by the second wave.

“People might think,’COVID is over. Why do I have to wear a face mask?”,” she told the Guardian. “But it’s not over yet. There are still some COVID patients on intensive care. If the people aren’t physically separated and don’t wear face coverings, they’ll be able to return quickly earlier this year. I can do it.”

Government scientists, including Vallance and British Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty Doubt According to Johnson’s suggestion, restrictions such as social distance may disappear by November.

Mr Whitti said Friday that social distances, face masks and quarantine need to be “long lasting.” Meanwhile, Valence warned that deregulation could lead to more cases.

“As we release more measures, it’s inevitable to get more contacts so we can see more cases.” Said.. “In the winter, the challenges become very large, and of course this involves the risk of national action.”

“Everyone I talk to thinks the disease is very likely to continue to circulate and return to the waves,” he continued. “Therefore, we will need a means of reducing contact—a means of social distance as we discussed and the associated hygiene measures—to reduce spread.”

Health professionals have said that for several months, countries need to prepare for the second wave.

Now is the time to prepare, not to celebrate. Dr. Hans Kruger, WHO Director of Europe, Said In May, when countries began to relax lockdown restrictions. “This pandemic is not over.”

In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, also warned in May that the state needed to be cautious about how it plans to resume.

At that time, Forch’s tone was cautiously optimistic. The second wave is not “unavoidable,” he had Said, Only if the state is “right” open.

“Don’t jump beyond the recommendations of some guidelines, as it seeks fate and trouble that is really fascinating,” he warned in an interview with CNN.

Yet that is exactly what is happening in many parts of the country, as many of the states are rushing to lift restrictions on bars, restaurants and other businesses. Coronavirus cases are proliferating in many states, including California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

“I think it’s no exaggeration to say that the serious problems are continuing as we are talking,” Forch said. Financial times Early this month.

Successful Flatten the coronavirus curve, European nations have been spending time preparing for the challenge of keeping it flat as the cold season approaches. In contrast, the United States may have wasted that opportunity.

“What I’m worried about is the slope of the curve,” Forch said. “It still looks like it’s exponential.”

From a report from HuffPost UK