[ad_1]
Scientific advisers have warned ministers that greater Covid bans should be enacted urgently in England to curb the spread of the Omicron coronavirus and reduce the number of hospitals similar to last winter.
The warning came as London mayor Sadiq Khan announced a “major event” in the city.
Khan said he was “deeply concerned” after 26,000 new cases were reported in London on Friday, which he said was causing emergency workers in the city.
England could face “3,000 hospitalizations a day” early next year if ministers follow Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “Plan B” policy, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergency (Sage) government warned, adding that “other developments has serious consequences. ”but“ many doubts ”remain.
Allies of Johnson says it hopes they will not impose stricter rules on Christmas customs.
If no other steps are taken, the daily death toll could reach 600 by February, consultants added.
Sage said restrictions on home invasion and hospitality may be needed in the new year to restrict the number of hospitalizations per day if January January ends when about 4,000 Covid patients were hospitalized in one day.
“If the goal is to reduce the number of people living with the disease and to prevent hospitals from reaching this level, strict procedures should be followed as soon as possible,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
Covid-19 cases exceeded 90,000 cases a day for the second consecutive day in the UK on Friday, following a full week. About 90,418 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, up 67 percent on the same day last week.
Corrective measures, including “reducing group size, overcrowding, reducing contact time and closing high-risk areas” may be needed on top of eye masks, ventilation and power limits, the committee said.
“Illustrations. . . suggests that methods similar to those developed after Phase 2 or Phase 1 of the road map in England, if implemented early, could reduce the risk of hospitalization and illness compared to Plan B alone.
Under England’s two closed roads, hospitality was banned and only two families were able to mix at any time, while under the first phase, home mixing was not allowed and unnecessary businesses were forced to close.
Returning to the second phase could reduce hospitals to 3,000 per day and 500 deaths per day, while the first phase could reduce hospitals to as low as 1,500 per day and 200 deaths per day, according to the committee.
“The timing of such activities is very important,” he said, adding that delays until the new year “could significantly reduce the effectiveness of such measures and reduce the risk of further stress on health and care services”.
Sage further stated that vaccination “is very important” to reduce the risk of serious illnesses but said “there is a need for non-pharmacological action to reduce the incidence of the disease”.
The government has promised to provide all qualified elders in England by the end of the year. On Friday, a further 800,000 dose was delivered to the UK for the second day in a row.
“Politicians will need to make difficult decisions on how to use and distribute resources that also include scientific expertise,” the committee added.
An emergency cabinet meeting was held on Saturday to review Omicron’s latest details, which one of the former government officials described Friday as “very black”.
Announcing the big event, Khan said he met with NHS allies, firefighters, police and local councils as concerns grew over the proliferation of Omicron species in London.
“The biggest problem we have is the large number of people living in London with HIV and this is leading to serious problems related to the lack of staff and the potential for our public services to thrive.
The “big event” gives emergency workers in London the right to put other patients first and means that hospitals will not be able to function properly.
Prof Neil Ferguson, a scientific adviser to the UK government, warned that London has seen a spate of cases and the actual number of new cases in England could rise to 300,000 a day.
Speaking to the BBC Today On Saturday’s program, he warned that the country could “step in on a threat to health care”.
[ad_2]
Source link
