How the UK is dealing with the second wave

How Britain entered and exited the blockade of the country and returned to the blockade of the country

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 the Phase 2 strategy on May 10 and 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 Medical Officer Chris Whitti 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 came into effect on Thursday, November 5th and ended on Wednesday, December 2nd.

On November 11th, the Ministry of Education introduced a “student travel window” between December 3rd and 9th. Meanwhile, the university planned to stagger students back home for Christmas so as not to overload public transport.

How can we prevent another blockade in the future?

The Pfizer / BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine will be first administered at 70 hospitals on 8 December, with 300 GPs in 53 regions of the UK expected to be in stock by 14 December.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granted an emergency use authorization to the vaccine on December 2. 1 million jabs delivered to NHS December 3rd.

The UK has a total of 40 million Pfizer doses, 90% effectiveness in preventing Covid-19 Those who have no evidence of previous infection.

read more: How the UK gets Pfizer’s Covid vaccine from the factory to patients

Meanwhile, Oxford University scientists said they expect vaccine results to come out by Christmas, confirming that regulators are conducting so-called “rolling reviews” to speed up the process. did.

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.

Despite these advances, scientists emphasize that the pandemic is not over yet.

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

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

“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.”

BioNTech CEO Professor Uğur Sahin expects patients’ antibody responses to “decrease over time,” but rejects the idea of ​​combining vaccines for people who have lost their immune response.

Professor Wendy Berkeley, an imperial virology scientist on the government’s Sage Commission, has announced mutations after Mink was infected with the virus in Denmark.

“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..

In addition, in a speech to the Commons on December 14, the Minister of Health announced that a new variant of the coronavirus had been identified in the United Kingdom.

However, Hancock says the new variant is “very unlikely” to cause more serious illness or endanger the vaccine.

In his speech to the Commons, he said: “At this point, it must be emphasized that there is nothing to suggest that this mutation is likely to cause serious illness. The latest clinical advice is that this mutation is likely to fail. It’s very low. It responds to the vaccine, which shows that we need to be vigilant and follow the rules, and everyone needs to take personal responsibility to prevent the spread of this virus. I will. “

What else is going on?

Free Vitamins for the Elderly and the Vulnerable: On November 28, health officials shared that more than 2.5 million vulnerable people across the UK would be given free vitamin D supplements to help them during the winter. People in nursing homes and those who are classified as clinically very vulnerable are provided with updated vitamins for bone and muscle health benefits.

Normally, the skin produces vitamin D after spending time in the sun. However, the most endangered people spent a considerable amount of time internally while shielding from Covid-19. Authorities suggest that everyone should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the winter, but there is no evidence that vitamin D prevents the capture or treatment of the virus.