In the United Kingdom, a new version of Kovid-19 anticipates an increase in infections

It is a cold January shower for the British Government. The first country to produce a vaccine card to fight the Kovid-19 epidemic in early December, the United Kingdom is once again experiencing SARS infection, until it reaches the million-mark mark on 2 January. -CoV-2 due to the spread of the new version “VOC 202012/01” in London and the southeast of the island. Thus, in the last four days, reports to the BBC, the number of daily positive cases now exceeds 50,000.

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It is enough to fear skyrocketing hospitals and intensive care admissions, when the British health system is already at its end. “All hospitals that are not yet under pressure like the South East, London and South Wales should expect the situation to worsen”, Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Medicine, also warned British public radio and television. Even though it means Boris Johnson’s vaccine drying up, during his New Year’s greetings.

London schools closed for 15 days

To curb the outbreak of the new epidemic, the British government on Friday decided not to reopen London’s primary schools for at least two weeks after the Christmas holiday. It matches one million schoolchildren and promises a return to normalcy, made by Education Minister Gavin Williamson in mid-December, for the beginning of the January school year. This decision, taken at the last minute, also drew severe criticism from the unions of Labor (opposition) and teachers in the United Kingdom. They judge him as much “Arbitrary” In the face of the proliferation of new tensions is insufficient and will prefer all establishments, which will be able to accommodate pupils in difficulty and “front-line workers”, will be placed in the same boat – which includes colleges and high schools.

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reason ? There is a growing confirmation of increased infectiousness of variants found in November in the United Kingdom, including those under 20 years of age. The new British strain of SARS-CoV-2, now published worldwide (in the United States, Chile, Turkey), according to the results of a new study by infectious disease specialists at Imperial College London. , In Germany, etc.) is actually much more easily transmitted despite health restriction measures. In order to boost the reproduction rate of the virus compared to the previous one (the famous “R”) should increase from 0.4 to 0.7 points. However, to contain the number of cases, it is necessary that this indicator be less than 1, which is no longer the case in the United Kingdom.

Pressure on hospitals

Although an unknown: Scientists do not yet know why the VOC version is more transmitted in young people. The only certainty: the study was done during the second wave when students were not yet confined. To say so led one of the authors of this study, the statistician Alex Gandy “Until a very large proportion of the population has been vaccinated, social remedial measures are necessary to control this more communicable form of Kovid-19. All those who can be vaccinated ”.

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“In other words, until we act differently, the new tension will continue to spread.Oxford University biologist Jim Naismith told the BBC. There will be more infections, hence more hospital and more deaths. “ Already, patients in crisis, typically in London and the South East, face the influx of British hospitals Guardian, Preparing for the worst. So much so that the British Health Service (NHS) has announced that it will recreate a field hospital at a conference center in East London. Such as the first wave of spring.

Florian Bardo

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