Xinhua News Agency, London, October 21st Summary: England fully unblocked the epidemic for more than three months, attracting new highs from medical circles
Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Shuang
According to the epidemic data released by the British government on the 21st, the number of newly diagnosed new crown cases in the UK exceeded 50,000 for the first time on the 21st. This is the highest number of new cases in a single day since England announced its full release on July 19. The British health community screamed about this, “overwhelming evidence” shows that stricter epidemic prevention measures should be adopted. However, the British government stated that it will not change the current epidemic prevention strategy at this time.
On July 19, the final phase of “unblocking” was implemented in England. On October 4, the British government announced a substantial relaxation of the entry policy in England and simplified entry testing for the new crown to promote the recovery of the tourism industry. The control measures adopted in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are up to the local governments to decide on their own. These areas have gradually adopted more relaxed anti-epidemic policies this summer.
Since July 19, the number of new cases in a single day in the UK has not changed much from before the “unblocking”, and there was a decline at one time. But since October, the number of increasing cases in the UK has remained above 30,000. Since mid-October, this data has repeatedly exceeded 40,000. Data on the 21st showed that there were 5,2009 new confirmed cases of new crowns in the UK that day, which is the ninth consecutive day that more than 40,000 confirmed cases have been added daily, with a total of 8,641,221 confirmed cases; 115 new deaths and a total of 139,146 deaths.
British Health Secretary Javid pointed out on the 20th that the new crown epidemic is far from over. People may see one day this winter that there are as many as 100,000 new confirmed cases of new crown in the UK in a single day. On the same day, Jenny Harris, chief executive of the British Health and Security Agency, said that the current increase in the number of new crown deaths in the UK “is going in the wrong direction.”
British Prime Minister Johnson said on the 21st that although the number of new crown cases is increasing day by day, the current epidemic situation is still roughly in line with the government’s forecast model, so he will still adhere to the current epidemic prevention strategy; because most people in the UK have been vaccinated against the new crown, the current epidemic situation is more It is much better before 12 months; British people should be vaccinated as soon as possible before winter, and people aged 12 to 15 should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Data shows that so far, more than 86% of people over the age of 12 in the UK have received at least one dose of the new crown vaccine, and about 79% have received two doses of the vaccine.
However, professionals in the British medical and health industry have called for the government to immediately switch to Plan B of the “Responding to the New Crown Epidemic: Autumn and Winter Plan” after the number of new cases in a single day exceeds 40,000 for the eighth consecutive day, that is, when the epidemic worsens severely. The back-up plan includes mandatory wearing of masks in some places, suggesting that people work from home, and certain large-scale event places may require people to show vaccination certificates.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the British National Health System Federation, said: “The overwhelming evidence shows that we really need to take action.” He urged the government to resume the mandatory wearing of masks in public places and other anti-epidemic measures, and called for emergency measures to ease medical care. Institutional pressure.
Chand Nag Paul, chairman of the Council of the British Medical Association, pointed out that the government has not taken any further action to reduce infections, which is “deliberate oversight.” Catherine Henderson, Dean of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in the United Kingdom, said that winter posed a major challenge to health services, and the government needs to recognize the potential crisis…
The Sky News website and other media quoted British health experts as reporting that although the new crown vaccination can effectively reduce the number of severe cases and deaths, the British government insists on the current loose epidemic prevention policy without considering several key factors. First of all, vulnerable groups such as the elderly who were first vaccinated are facing the danger of the effectiveness of vaccines beginning to weaken; secondly, this winter will be the season when the new crown and other seasonal respiratory diseases such as influenza are spreading at the same time; thirdly, the pressure on the health care sector is increasing. Some experts point out that taking action before the situation gets worse is the best way to deal with it.
Steven Powys, Director of National Medical Affairs of the British National Health System, recently stated that with the increase in the British new crown infection rate, the number of hospitalizations will continue to increase, in addition to the spread of other viruses such as influenza virus, which will increase the pressure on medical staff.
In fact, the medical service system in some places has begun to face greater pressure. According to new data released by the National Health Service of England, 5.7 million people were on the waiting list for daily visits in British hospitals at the end of August, which is the highest number since records began in 2007. The Royal Cornwall Hospital in the United Kingdom raised its operational level on the 21st. Its medical director, Alister Grant, said that the Cornwall County where the hospital is located has unprecedented demand for healthcare services. More at any time”.
The UK is one of the countries most severely affected by the new crown epidemic. The UK’s first investigation report on the new crown epidemic issued by the House of Commons on the 12th pointed out that the UK failed to take more measures to prevent the spread of the new crown virus early in the pandemic. This is one of the country’s most serious public health failures.
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