Britain eyes normal life by Christmas, but preparing for second COVID-19 wave

[rooster59]

Britain eyes normal life by Christmas, but preparing for second COVID-19 wave

By William James and Sarah Young

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during question period at the House of Commons in London, Britain July 15, 2020. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Britain could return to normality before Christmas, setting out a phased removal of lockdown restrictions, but warned the country still needed to prepare for the worst.

 

Britain's death toll of more than 45,000 from confirmed cases of COVID-19 is Europe's highest but the country has begun to lift lockdown measures as case numbers and infection rates fall.

 

Johnson set out the latest timetable for easing on Friday, saying employers would be given more discretion over working from home rules, that the safety of larger gatherings would be evaluated, and that social distancing rules might be dropped in time for Christmas.

 

"It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas," he said.

 

However, he stressed that the plan depended on keeping infection rates down, and set out extra healthcare funding and new powers for local government to lock down COVID-19 hotspots.

 

"We're making sure we're ready for winter and planning for the worst. But even as we plan for the worst, I strongly believe we should also hope for the best," he told a news conference.

 

The government has faced criticism over several aspects of its pandemic response, including that it was too slow to impose a lockdown and failed to ramp up testing capacity fast enough.

 

Opposition leader Keir Starmer said it was vital that Johnson's plan was endorsed by experts in order to win public confidence.

 

"This can't be done on a wing and a prayer. It requires a credible plan and national leadership," Starmer said.

 

Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, struck a pessimistic tone, saying a second wave was possible.

 

Vallance told the science and technology committee of Britain's upper house of parliament that if the virus continued to circulate, social distancing measures would remain necessary.

 

Johnson said that from Aug. 1 he would scrap official guidance that encouraged people to work from home and instead give employers the power to decide whether it was safe for workers to return.

 

He also changed his advice on public transport, telling people that anybody may now use it although they were encouraged to consider alternative means where available. Previous guidance was for people to try to avoid it.

 

The government set out a 3 billion pound ($3.8 billion) cash boost for the state-funded health system which would be made available immediately, and permitted the use of private hospitals and temporary field hospitals to ease the increased winter burden.

 

The funding announcement applies only to the English health service, with equivalent increases for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be set out later.

 

The government will also increase testing capacity and flexibility, bolster its stockpiles of protective equipment and, - wary of increased pressure from other seasonal illnesses = increase its annual flu vaccination programme.

($1 = 0.7970 pounds)

 

(Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Stephen Addison and Catherine Evans)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-18

 

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[Justgrazing]

7 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Britain could return to normality

 

8 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, struck a pessimistic tone, saying a second wave was possible.

There is no longer the united front  they were first putting on with the daily conferences when everything was " guided by the science" .. now it's more a case of guided by the economy with Jonson sending out conflicting signals to what the Proff"s are saying as the 2nd wave beckons ..

[OneMoreFarang]

It seems lots of politicians around the word want to assure us that all is fine or all will be fine soon.

But it's pretty obvious that most of them are lying.

 

Why is it so difficult for politicians to tell the truth? I would also like to hope all is fine by Christmas (in the UK, Thailand and anywhere else in the word). But that is totally unrealistic. Let's face reality! We will be far away from normal life for a long time. It's reality. We better get used to it.

 

[Enzian]

Are those bottles of Scotch on the table to his left? They need it.

[Kadilo]

3 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

 

There is no longer the united front  they were first putting on with the daily conferences when everything was " guided by the science" .. now it's more a case of guided by the economy with Jonson sending out conflicting signals to what the Proff"s are saying as the 2nd wave beckons ..

They unofficially fell out a while ago noticeably after the Cummings fiasco. After that the joint daily briefings were tapered down to just the government representative. 
 

The experts are now distancing themselves from his rhetoric by making it clear they believe a second wave is coming and don’t want to be associated with his new announcements. 
 

As you say it seems it’s now all about the economy and I believe relying on a vaccine. 

[stephenterry]

Regretfully, I cannot envisage a back to normality by Xmas - or even if it's a close call, the Xmas and New Year celebrations would no doubt trigger a second or third wave in Jan 2021 as well as a flu virus....   

[terryw]

Astra Zeneca expect to be producing the Oxford vaccine in huge numbers by October. Let's hope their confidence is justified.

[jrward42]

I hope it is vaguely normal by then. I need to pop back to Blighty for a month in December. I am dreading it if there are covid certificates and so on needed.

[connda]

Normal ain't happening again.  Btw, look at all the mask wearers. 
"Ah, mask wearing is just for the plebs!" 

 

 

[Nigel Garvie]

55 minutes ago, connda said:

Normal ain't happening again.  Btw, look at all the mask wearers. 
"Ah, mask wearing is just for the plebs!" 

 

 

Rather like Thailand, quarantine is just for the plebs. The key difference is that Thailand actually has done pretty well overall dealing with Covid, and the UK, and particularly England, are the dunces of Europe on that front. 

 

Normal is off the menu for sure. World recession for years, compounded by the idiocy of Brexit for the UK. Covid after effects beginning to look worse by the day.  Immunity uncertain in strength and duration, and scientists saying this could be a seasonal disease in due course and regularly reappear. 

 

The deluded will call this scaremongering, but of course the worst scenario will not play out on every front, it doesn't have to. 

[unblocktheplanet]

19 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Rather like Thailand, quarantine is just for the plebs. The key difference is that Thailand actually has done pretty well overall dealing with Covid,

 

Immunity uncertain in strength and duration, and scientists saying this could be a seasonal disease in due course and regularly reappear.

I don't know we've done "pretty well overall" in dealing with Covid. I think it was more of a lucky break. It could get way worse. Keeping the borders closed is paramount.

[LoS itaint]

On 7/18/2020 at 6:19 AM, Justgrazing said:

 

There is no longer the united front  they were first putting on with the daily conferences when everything was " guided by the science" .. now it's more a case of guided by the economy with Jonson sending out conflicting signals to what the Proff"s are saying as the 2nd wave beckons ..

*Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Britain could return to normality* is that comment some indication that his resignation is imminent? the pick of a poor bunch indeed

[Baerboxer]

41 minutes ago, LoS itaint said:

*Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Britain could return to normality* is that comment some indication that his resignation is imminent? the pick of a poor bunch indeed

 

It just shows how bad Corbyn and his neo-Marxist corbynistas or Swinson, who couldn't keep her seat really were.

Labour under Starmer ain't doing a whole lot better till he gets rid of the corbinistas. LibDems down the pan.

 

In Boris's case, not only did he face no hopers in the GE, he hasn't got any serious contenders within his party yet. The Chancellor looks good, but needs experience. And the evil little Cummings is like the witch to Boris's Sheriff of Nottingham!

[3NUMBAS]

Britain has signed deals to secure 90 million doses of two potential coronavirus vaccines from the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech alliance and French group Valneva, the business department has announced.

It came as an outbreak of Covid-19 was confirmed at an NHS test and trace centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire. “Everyone at the site is currently working from home while a deep clean takes place, and will be offered a test within the next 24 hours,” officials said.

Also this morning, news that the Ministry of Justice will open 10 so-called Nightingale Courts to hear a backlog of less serious criminal cases caused by the virus – though lawyers have repeatedly said that delays in the justice system were building up long before the pandemic hit.

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-news-live-uk-signs-050700102.html

[3NUMBAS]

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/coronavirus-treatment-protein-trial-synairgen-a4503076.html

 

Game changer’ protein treatment 'cuts severe Covid-19 symptoms by nearly 80%'

 

• Harriet Brewis
• 22 minutes ago

• A “groundbreaking” new coronavirus treatment dramatically reduces the number of patients suffering severe symptoms, according to preliminary trial results.

  The treatment, developed by Southampton-based biotech Synairgen, uses a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it contracts a viral infection.

  Covid-19 patients inhale the protein into the lungs using a nebuliser, with the aim of stimulating an immune response.

   

  Initial findings, published on Monday, suggest the treatment cuts the chances of a hospitalised coronavirus patient developing severe symptoms of the disease by 79 per cent.

[Bluetongue]

On 7/18/2020 at 10:00 AM, Enzian said:

Are those bottles of Scotch on the table to his left? They need it.

Id say posh water bottles

 

[3NUMBAS]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-secures-early-access-90-051013542.html

 

The UK has signed new deals securing early access to more than 90 million doses of "promising" coronavirus vaccine.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced on Monday that officials had brokered agreements with German firm BioNTech, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and French biotech company Valneva.

BioNTech and Pfizer, which are jointly developing a Covid-19 vaccine, will provide the UK with 30 million doses under a binding agreement.

There has also been an in-principle deal done for 60 million doses of an inactivated virus vaccine that is being developed by Valneva, which has a factory in Livingston, Scotland.

The Government is expected to contribute to the cost of taking the Valneva vaccine through to clinical trials, while funding is also being negotiated to expand the Scottish facility to allow supply of up to 100 million doses to the UK and other countries around the world.

On top of the new vaccine deals, the Government has also struck an in principle agreement to secure one million doses of a treatment containing Covid-19 neutralising antibodies.

The treatment, produced by British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, could be used to protect people who cannot be vaccinated, such as those who are immunocompromised.

 

The figure of 90 million is in addition to the 100 million doses of vaccine that are being developed by Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca, as well as another at Imperial College London which started human trials in June.

Initial data from the Oxford/AstraZeneca trial - which is now in its third phase of human trials in Brazil - is due to be released on Wednesday, with high expectations over its efficacy.

England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty encouraged people to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials, adding that the willingness of patients to take part has already led to improved care around the world.

Professor Whitty said: “Now that there are several promising vaccines on the horizon, we need to call again on the generosity of the public to help find out which potential vaccines are the most effective.”

[from the home of CC]

On 7/18/2020 at 6:19 AM, Justgrazing said:

 

There is no longer the united front  they were first putting on with the daily conferences when everything was " guided by the science" .. now it's more a case of guided by the economy with Jonson sending out conflicting signals to what the Proff"s are saying as the 2nd wave beckons ..

they never extinguished the 'first wave' and since the lock down finished cases have started rising again, too bad they just didn't look across the pond to see what would happen..

[Bluespunk]

Not a good day for the tories

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53433824


 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Bluespunk