[ad_1]
The UK may be ahead of its European neighbors in getting its people vaccinated, but the British may have to remain in mask for “several years” if public health experts are successful.
New cases of Covid-19 in the UK have increased tenfold since early January and more than 27 million Britons – more than half of the adult population – have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Compared with the increase in cases on the continent and an average EU vaccination rate of around 10%, the UK appears to be winning its war against Covid-19.
Britons seeking a total reprieve from the country’s punitive lockdown, however, should not hold their breath.
That’s according to Mary Ramsay, head of vaccination at Public Health England. Ramsay told the BBC on Sunday that masks and social distancing may be needed to “several years,” or “At least until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated as we are, and the numbers have gone down everywhere.”
With vaccines unevenly distributed around the world and people in poorer countries facing a wait of years to get vaccinated, Ramsay’s prediction could be realistic, if the UK government heeded his advice.
Also on rt.com
Not So Whitty: Dr Doom Chris Warns of Another ‘Push’ in Covid Cases, But Is It About Getting Us Ready for Another Lockdown?
As a government body, Public Health England certainly has a say in determining the UK’s Covid-19 response. His point of view is not a minority either. As the government seeks to ease restrictions from the end of March, Professor Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, told MPs earlier this month “Simple interventions”, face masks among them would be needed beyond the summer. Chief Science Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance, meanwhile, suggested that masks would be needed during the winter, to ward off a “ascend” in new cases.
Ramsay claimed that “People got used to” wearing masks and practicing social distancing, telling the BBC that “People can live with them, and the economy can continue to live with these less severe restrictions.”
However, the audience might not be as docile as she suggested. Thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to protest the nationwide lockdown and virus restrictions, as police arrested more than 30 people for violating Covid regulations.
Do you like this story? Share it with a friend!
[ad_2]
Source link