COVID-19 in UK: Delta variant cases on the rise, analyze continued restrictions for fear of outbreak before holiday

The increase in COVID-19 cases in the UK is not stopping, even though half of all adults have received both doses of the vaccine. This Tuesday, they were 6,048, almost double the Tuesday of last week, when 3,102 had been registered. No weekly increase in this ratio had been observed since December, when the country entered the worst wave since the start of the pandemic. Of course, contagion levels are unmatched, if we consider that the peak reaches more than 68,000 daily cases.

But this rise, which for some experts could be the start of a third wave, threatens to abort the long-awaited holiday season. Indeed, Boris Johnson’s government is seriously considering postponing the de-escalation plan scheduled for June 21, which would severely sanction the tourism sector..

Behind this regrowth hides the Delta variant of the coronavirus, first detected in India, which is already predominant in the country. This mutation 40% more is transmitted than the Alpha variant, the one originating in the United Kingdom, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock reported on Sunday.

“The best estimate of the growth advantage, as we call it (…) is around 40%”, Hancock told the British news network BBC, citing research by the group of scientists advising the government of Tory Boris Johnson. Given the spike in cases, Hancock confirmed that the Government is openly considering the possibility of postponing the reopening date, stipulated for 21st of June.

“For the moment it is a date marked in pencil”said before indicating that social distancing measures could continue beyond the final phase of reopening established by authorities, the news agency reported Press Europe. At the end of June, about 60% of adults will be fully vaccinated, Hancock added, up from 52% currently.

The main source of infection is in the area of Greater Manchester and Liverpool, That totaled 1,673 of the 5,683 cases reported on Monday. The government has urged residents of this part of the country to “Minimize travel” to other parts of the UK, to curb the increase in cases of the Delta variant.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, asked its residents for a “sense of proportion”. “It’s a guide, it’s an advice to the public, it’s not a confinementIt’s not a ban, ”he said. The region will receive additional vaccinations, military support and new rules for the use of masks in schools in the coming days to reduce infection rates.

Experts such as the University of London epidemiologist Anne johnson or the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Trevor PhillipsThey were adamantly opposed to any form of haste in reopening the country. The government advisor Stephen reicher yesterday warned that the execution of the next reopening measures it would be “imprudence” and would represent “a serious risk for the population “, according to comments collected by The Guardian.

Despite the increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in recent days, the bright spot is that the number of hospitalizations remains stable. Most hospitalizations concern patients who have not been vaccinated, said the Secretary of Health..

Holidays in danger

Fear of the entry of variants led the UK to apply strong restrictions on international travel and withdraw last week, unexpectedly, in Portugal from the group of foreign destinations considered to be at low risk of COVID-19, considering that there was an increase in infections. Preserved Spain off the so-called low risk ‘green list’ and left it in ‘orange’ (intermediate risk), which requires ten days quarantine and two PCRs upon returning to the UK, although the next UK review on international travel is in three weeks.

The inclusion of Portugal in the “orange” list has caused the discomfort of travel agencies and tourists who find themselves in this country. In chain declarations Sky News, the President of the National Health Council of Portugal, Henrique Barros, He described the reaction of the British executive as “exaggerated” and insisted on the fact that the epidemiological situation in his country is “relatively stable”.

Barros said the increase in cases has occurred among those under 40 and that incidence is low in those over 50, while hospitalizations are “very low”, less than 25 people for every million inhabitants.

Robert Jenrick, UK Secretary for Communities, acknowledged that the situation is “frustrating” for travelers, but insisted that the government had made it clear that the “green list” could change. “These countries are reviewed every three weeks, so there is always a risk in a situation that changes rapidly with the new variants.”insisted Jenrick, who linked the withdrawal from Portugal to the appearance of a mutation, identified in Nepal, of the Delta variant.

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