A third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic is underway in Great Britain, confirming the fact that Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided for the best when he postponed the openings scheduled for the “freedom day” of June 21 by one month. Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee and a government consultant, confirmed that the Indian “Delta” variant is ramping up across the country and that the number of infected has risen by 79% in the last week: a race between the virus and vaccinations has begun. Whoever finishes first will win the game.
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In the last seven days the number of hospitalizations has also doubled, while that of victims fortunately does not grow in proportion. Young people are most affected by “Delta” and the Ministry of Health has thus decided to open the vaccination campaign to eighteen-year-olds as well. “The infections are rising – said Finn to the Today program of Radio 4 -: we can hope that they will not increase faster than now, but they are rising: the third wave is underway”.
To prevent it from doing damage like the first two it is necessary, according to the expert, to inoculate the second dose to all elderly people and increase the number of vaccines administered every day. Children are also being vaccinated, but adults and the elderly remain the priority.
Now it will be a question of whether the vaccine will reach people faster than the “Delta” mutation, which is only possible if the spread of the variant slows down compared to the data of the last few weeks. Dr Mike Tildesley, epidemiologist, noted that those who have been infected and hospitalized are now “slightly younger, and therefore also slightly less sick” with a greater chance of recovery. “These signals are cautiously positive – he told the BBC – but, of course, we must keep an eye on the situation in the next two weeks in order to be able to provide as much information as possible to the government before the reopening scheduled for July 19”.
Large vaccination centers are underway in London at the Olympic Stadium and at the football fields of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Charlton Athletic. The situation in Great Britain must be monitored with great attention in other European countries where the “Delta” variant is already present, but is not yet so widespread. It won’t go away by itself, and just waits for people to relax and take off their masks, as they have already done or are about to do. Speeding up vaccinations and extending them to young people seem like decisions that governments should take quickly.