The End is Nigh?
From The BBC today:
The prime minister has announced that England's Covid rules will end from next week, weeks after they were introduced to slow the spread of the Omicron variant in December. In Scotland, most remaining restrictions are being lifted from Monday, and in Wales some rules are also being relaxed.
About 5.3% of the population had the virus in the UK last week, compared to 6.7% the week before, equating to roughly one in 20 people, the ONS says.
Across the UK, the percentage of people testing positive were:
England: 5.5% (previously 6.9%)
Wales: 3.7% (previously 5.6%)
Northern Ireland: 5.7% (previously 5.4%)
Scotland: 4.5% (previously 5.7%)
In England, Covid infections decreased in all regions except in the North East and the South West, where there was less certainty about the trend. Infections fell most quickly among people aged 16-24 but they stayed flat in the over 70s (around 3% infected) and rose in primary school-age children (to 8% infected).
[So it looks like, barring yet another variant that can circumvent the vaccines, that the UK at least has entered the end phase of the Pandemic. Here's hoping so and that these figures can be replicated across the globe as soon as possible. Then its just getting better prepared for the NEXT one!]
5 comments:
congrats! not premature, hopefully...
Congratulations! I'm so happy for your country!! We are still being subjected to threats and job loss (which is happening across the board), health authorities skewing the figures (which they came out and apologized for) and staging mannequins in hospitals (which they also apologized for). In fact, although they've fired all the unvaccinated health workers, they are now so understaffed that they have said vaccinated staff can work even if they test positive for Co vid. It's just crazy here. I'm glad to hear a tentative sanity reigns somewhere. *** high five ***
@ Mudpuddle: I HOPE its not premature. I think it will change if we get a new trickier variant though. I guess only time will tell.
@ Cleo: Fortunately vaccination rates are very high here - around 90% of adults I think - so the virus doesn't have that many people to infect now. Added to the people who have already been infected things are looking good for the much talked about 'herd immunity'. Even when restrictions/rules go or are relaxed I think people will still be wearing masks inside stores and using hand-sanitiser. I know I will be. I think we'll be seeing masks as a regular thing in the winter from now on too. Plus I'm guessing Covid vaccines for the next 5 years along with the standard flu shot which I think more people will be taking up now.
Keeping my fingers crossed that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not just another variant bearing down on us.
@ V V: I think we've made massive progress over the last few years with the vaccines and now the new anti-viral drugs plus other advances. I think we're in a much better position today than at the start and will be much more prepared for the next one if it happens in our lifetimes.
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