Public Health

Doctors warn of crisis as officials oppose restrictions

Fireman Matt Smither works with intensive care nurses in the intensive care unit at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, southern England.

ADRIAN DENNIS | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – A growing number of doctors in the UK are warning that the country and its health service are facing a renewed health crisis due to rampant Covid-19 infections and rising hospital admissions and deaths.

Warnings from several major UK medical institutions in recent days came as government officials insisted that further restrictions on public life are not yet needed, despite Health Secretary Sajid Javid warning on Wednesday that Covid cases could hit 100,000 a day as we enter the winter time.

To potentially make matters worse, British experts are now monitoring a mutation in the Delta variant that could make the virus even more transmissible.

Read more: The Delta variant has a mutation that worries experts: Here’s what we know so far

“Incredibly Concerning”

Criticizing the government’s optimistic view of the situation, the British Medical Association said on Wednesday that it was “incredibly worrying” that, as the association considered it, Javid was unwilling to “take immediate action to save lives.” Protect the NHS ”.

“Especially as we head into the winter when the NHS has to deal with the largest supply backlog with an already exhausted and exhausted workforce,” he added in a statement, reiterating numerous reports of exhausted health workers on the front lines.

Read More: British Doctors Call For Urgent Return Of Covid Restrictions As Experts Monitor New Mutations

Earlier this week, the BMA backed calls for the government from the NHS Confederation (which represents organizations across the UK health sector) to launch its “Plan B” announced last month if Covid cases threatened to severely affect the health of the health system .

“The reality today is an unacceptable rate of infections, hospital admissions and deaths that has never been seen in similar European countries. Compared to France we have more than ten times as many cases and almost four times as many deaths per million, “said the BMA called.

The UK recorded between 40,000 and 50,000 new infections every day over the past week. While the number of daily deaths and hospital admissions thanks to Covid vaccines remains well below previous pandemic highs, the data shows these numbers are rising too.

On Thursday, the UK reported 52,009 new cases and 115 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. In addition, an additional 959 people were hospitalized, official data shows.

The government has denied concerns about whether the health service can handle this. Health Secretary Edward Argar told the BBC Thursday that the NHS was not under “unsustainable pressure”, noting that there were around 95,000 beds in NHS hospitals, of which 7,000 were occupied by Covid patients and 6,000 were currently empty.

“We know how these numbers can grow rapidly, which is why we look at them day after day, hour after hour. But right now we have the ability to handle that, ”he said.

Other experts disagree and say the data could be worse than it appears.

“Britain is really in trouble”

The British Zoe Covid study, which collects and analyzes Covid data with the help of King’s College London, estimated on Thursday that the number of daily positive tests in the country is much higher than government data suggests. The data suggest that there were an average of 81,823 new symptomatic cases per day based on PCR and LFT test data (Lateral Flow Test) of up to five days. That’s a 17% increase from 69,993 new daily cases in the last week.

Dr. Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London who leads the study, commented that “the UK is really in trouble with over 80,000 new cases a day”.

“This did not happen overnight, but frustratingly our calls for a more careful approach to Covid management have gone unnoticed, despite the upward trends that we have been reporting on for several weeks … Britain must act now to prevent the situation got out of hand before winter, “he said.

Suspend vaccinations

Medical professionals also agree that the British vaccination program, which started successfully in December 2020, has stalled. Official data show that 79% of the population aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated.

“There are a number of developments behind the dramatic rise in infections in the UK. Compliance with non-pharmaceutical measures like wearing masks has declined, the cheap summer season is waning, and a new underline of the Delta variant known as AY.4.2 is growing modestly, “JPMorgan chief economist for Europe David Mackie said in a message on Thursday.

“But from our point of view the main problem is the combination of a stalled main vaccination program, declining vaccination protection and a modest start to the booster program.”

The number of fully vaccinated people in the UK reached 45 million in early October, Mackie noted, but by October 19, 45.4 million people were fully vaccinated, “which is an average daily pace over the past few weeks of just 27,600. The main vaccination program is effective.” stalled, “he said.

Spector agreed that “the two main reasons we are seeing cases again at their peak in January are the UK’s declining vaccine program … and the lifting of most restrictions too soon”.

He said the government should encourage the unvaccinated to take up vaccinations and “take simple measures like wearing masks on public transport and in crowded, poorly ventilated places, avoiding large indoor gatherings, and working from home when possible.” reintroduce.

“Doing nothing now will only make it worse. This pandemic is far from over, and while it looks like some would rather bury their heads in the sand, Covid-19 and its new variants have other plans. “

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