The UK Health Minister has refused to rule out imposing strict restrictions on COVID-19 before Christmas amid a rapid increase in infection and continued uncertainty about Omicron variants.
The London-UK Health Minister has refused to rule out imposing stricter restrictions on COVID-19 before Christmas as infections increase rapidly and uncertainty about Omicron variants continues.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday that the government was appreciating the fast-moving situation and urged scientists to be careful when examining the data. Even if hospitals are preparing for a surge in infection, much is still unknown about the new, highly contagious variants, he told the BBC.
“There is no guarantee for this pandemic, I don’t think,” Javid replied when asked about the possibility of new restrictions. “At this point, we need to keep reviewing everything.”
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson reinstated the rules requiring face masks in stores and ordered people to show vaccination evidence or a negative coronavirus test before entering night clubs and other crowded areas. He defended a program that relies on vaccines. This is a strategy to provide 830,000 booster shots on Saturday alone.
The vaccination facility is required to operate a large number of vaccination centers 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a shopping center, cathedral and soccer stadium. Some sites are up and running 24 hours a day for shift workers to easily use.
However, according to leaked minutes from the BBC’s meeting of scientific advisory groups for emergencies, government scientific advisers believe it is not enough, overwhelming UK hospitals. We recommend a wider range of restrictions to prevent it.
“You can’t do anything after waiting for the hospital to go through the roof, because it’s too late,” Professor David Spiegelhalter told Sky News.
The British Medical Association warns that approximately 50,000 doctors, nurses, and other National Health Service staff in the UK could become infected with Covid-19 by Christmas Day, unless additional measures are introduced. doing. Johnson’s conservative government needs more steps to get out of the situation, not just to get vaccinated, said Chaand Nagpol, chairman of the association’s council.
“In reality, parliamentarians have been disbanded at Christmas, and the NHS has been brutally exposed to the consequences of a surge in incident rates, leaving the restrictions necessary to manage them,” Nagpol said. Said. “Doctors are not only very worried about the potential impact this may have on hospitalization, but what to the NHS-wide patient care if we have a vast range of sick staff. I’m also worried about what it means. “
On Sunday, the government reported 82,886 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the lab each day. With more than 147,000 deaths, the UK already has the highest COVID-19 deaths in Europe after Russia.
Countries across Europe are moving swiftly to re-impose stricter measures to stop the new wave of COVID-19 infections caused by Omicron variants. The Dutch government began a strict national blockade on Sunday, curbing a rapidly increasing infection, and ministers of France, Germany, Austria and Cyprus tightened travel restrictions.
Ireland has imposed a curfew on pubs and bars at 8 pm, restricting participation in indoor and outdoor events. Paris has canceled the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan emphasized concerns about the rise in COVID-19 infections and the potential to overwhelm the health care system by declaring a major incident on Saturday.
It came the same day the protesters marched in London to condemn the new restrictions.
The World Health Organization reported on Saturday that Omicron was detected in 89 countries. Cases of COVID-19, including variants, are said to double every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community infections.
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