Britain has been quite in the news in recent times. As the the year 2020 was coming to crashing end, Britain concluded its crash out of the European Union. Whether they left of their accord or tactfully forced out by some other European states that could no longer stand their overbearing and insufferable collective nature, only posterity will tell.
It is on record that among the leaders of states of the world, Mr Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of Britain was one those that suffered from Covid 19. As Britain is starting to feel the pinch of travel restriction and bans from many countries that are worried as the country reels from a new coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded level, Mr Johnson has announced that tougher lockdown restrictions in England are likely.
“We are entirely reconciled to do what it takes to get the virus under control, that may involve tougher measures in the weeks ahead,” Johnson said in an interview with the BBC. “Obviously, there are a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider.”
Johnson stated he has “no doubt” that schools are safe and urged parents to send their children back into the classroom in areas of England where they can. Many a parent in England are not so hot on Johnson’s enthusiasm to send their children to unsure waters, so to say. This has caused groups representing teachers to call for schools to turn to virtual learning for at least some weeks more due to the new variant, which is said that its contagious level is up to 70 per cent more than that of the first wave that took its terrible toll on the country.
The UK outbreak is regarded as acute and therefore being taken seriously, as it has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections each day over the past five days.
About four days to this publication, it notched a daily record of 57,725 new cases.
The country, with nearly 75,000 virus-related deaths, is alternating with Italy as the worst-hit European nation, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Johnson conceded that school closures, curfews and the total banning of household mixing could be on the agenda for areas under the most may-take-more-stringent-measures-to-control-virus
London and southeast England are facing extremely high levels of new infections and there is speculation that restrictions there will have to be tightened to bring the virus under control.
In some parts of the British capital and its surrounding areas, there are around 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.
Johnson’s government is using a tiered coronavirus restrictions system.
Most of England is already at the highest Tier 4 level, which involves the closure of shops not selling non-essential items and places like gyms and recreation centers as well as a stay-at-home instruction.
“What we are using now is the Tiering System, which is a very tough system, and is probably about to get tougher to keep things under control,” he said.
“We’ll review it and we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the tracks in their tens of millions, offering people literally life and hope.”
VACCINATION
The UK has moved quickly on the vaccination
It was the first to begin vaccinating people over 80 and health care workers on December 8 with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
Last week, regulators approved another vaccine made by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca that is cheaper and easier to use than the Pfizer vaccine.
Hundreds of new vaccination sites are due to be up and running this week as the National Health Service ramps up its immunization program with the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.
Officials said around 530,000 doses of the new vaccine will be in place today as the country moves towards its goal of vaccinating two million people a week as soon as possible.
“We do hope that we will be able to do tens of millions in the course of the next three months,” Johnson said.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca shot will be administered at a small number of hospitals for the first few days so authorities can be on the lookout for any adverse reactions.
Hundreds of new vaccination sites at both hospitals as well as local doctor’s offices are due to launch this week, joining the more than 700 already in operation, NHS England said
