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After Christmas, the number of people suffering from COVID-19 will increase dramatically, and this will have a rebound on the quality of treatment in local hospitals, warns the British health service. Doctors are alarming that there may be no available beds, and to support their theses they cite the example of Thanksgiving in the USA. The remedial method is to avoid social gatherings in a wider group, despite the lifting of the restrictions, effective from 23 December.
- From 23 to 27 December, the British will be able to meet with people belonging to three different households
- Fearing an increase in post-Christmas infections, health officials and government advisers urge to ignore relaxed restrictions
- Supporters and opponents of easing restrictions on Christmas clash in the British government
- You can find more about the coronavirus on the Onet homepage.
Lifting the restrictions does not mean that the virus is no longer dangerous
Easing restrictions during the holiday season may lead some to believe that the risks associated with social interaction are gone, fears Chris Hopson, head of NHS Providers, a federation of British health funds.
— I don’t want to spoil the holiday atmosphere, but I remind you that everyone has to think carefully about how they will spend Christmas – he said in an interview with the BBC. – It’s not about whether we follow the rules. It is about the risk of increased contacts.
The NHS is calculating its COVID-19 treatment options in view of the sharp increase in the number of patients during the winter months. The cause for concern is legitimate as the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US broke new records after Thanksgiving. There are also increasing numbers of cases in London, Essex, Kent and Lincolnshire alone.
- Lockdown for Christmas? They are preparing to tighten restrictions in Europe
As part of the temporary easing of restrictions, on 23-27 December it will be possible to meet people from up to three different households. This applies to indoor meetings with overnight accommodation. “People think that since the government has lifted the restrictions, wider contacts are no longer dangerous,” said Hopson. – But any contact with a person outside our household, especially with those who belong to risk groups, is very dangerous.
This comment came days after England’s chief physician Dr. Chris Whitty warned of a “catastrophic” third wave of the epidemic. Some government advisers even call for ignoring the easing of restrictions, fearing an increase in the number of infections right after Christmas.
In turn, prof. Sarah Gilbert, who is developing a coronavirus vaccine at the University of Oxford, said there was a “fairly good” chance that it would be approved for use by the end of the year. The results of clinical trials are currently being analyzed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Unlike Pfizer / BioNTech, which is already licensed but has to be stored below -70 ° C, the Oxford vaccine is only satisfied with a normal refrigerator, which makes it much easier to distribute.
– We have to vaccinate a lot of people to disrupt the transmission of the virus, and even more to end it – said Prof. Gilbert.
Data on COVID-19 cases in the UK do not give any optimism
The NHS said on Sunday that 19 more patients had died from COVID-159. This brings the total number of confirmed deaths in English hospitals at 44 people. In several London boroughs, including Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, the number of infections lasting seven days is more than double the England average of 285 cases per 153. residents.
- A Polish woman living in Great Britain got vaccinated against COVID-19. “I’m glad the virus won’t get me a second time”
The government will decide on Wednesday whether to impose further restrictions on the entire British capital or just part of it. Some experts on the government’s Sage Science Advisory Group believe a lockdown should not be tolerated in London. However, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab defends the policy of easing restrictions.
– People need these five days off for the holidays to spend some time with loved ones. I think this will have a positive effect on the mental and emotional health of citizens, Raab said.
See also:
- They were winning with COVID-19, now “the situation is out of control”. What’s going on in Germany?
- Lockdown for Christmas? They are preparing to tighten restrictions in Europe
- Are we risking COVID-19 when buying a Christmas tree? Virologist: two important points and one piece of advice
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