UK sets a record after lodging zero COVID deaths for the first time since the pandemic

A man in UK receiving COVID Jab. Photograph: PA Wire

Three-quarters of adults in the United Kingdom are on the verge of receiving their first Covid-19 immunization.

It will be released the day after no deaths were reported within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 for the first time since July 30 of last year.

According to the latest government data, more than 39.4 million people – or 74.9 percent of adults – had gotten their first dose.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will hail the NHS's important role in the vaccination rollout in a speech on Wednesday, saying the government "supported lots of horses," investing "at-risk" in various programs.

His remarks come as the last stages of loosening restrictions in England are set to take place later this month, despite fears over the spread of the Indian variety.

Mr. Hancock will talk at the Jenner Institute in Oxford ahead of the G7 Health Ministers conference, which will be hosted by the United Kingdom later this week.

“Even before the first Covid-19 case arrived in the UK, we'd begun the work on how to develop, procure, and put out the vaccines that would ultimately keep us safe,” he is likely to declare.

“I was told that no human coronavirus vaccination had ever been developed. We dared to hope... We started early, too.

“In February, we issued a study request. By March, we had committed to six different studies, including the Oxford vaccine, as well as critical therapy research, such as the Recovery trial, which resulted in the discovery of dexamethasone, the first confirmed treatment for coronavirus mortality. Together, these two efforts have saved nearly a million lives.”

“The biggest danger would have been failing to find a vaccine at all,” Mr. Hancock will argue. As a result, we embraced risk from the start. As a result, we backed a lot of horses and put our money on the line.

“And instead of waiting to see which immunizations came off, we were persistent in assisting them to cross the finish line, leveraging on our team's extensive industry experience.”

The Health Secretary is also likely to discuss how the NHS has "earned every accolade" and how the UK has "scientific strength."

Boris Johnson, according to Downing Street, finds nothing in the statistics to suggest that the plan to lift all legal lockdown limitations in England on June 21 would need to be postponed.

When asked about the Prime Minister's plans in light of the Indian variant's spread, a No 10 spokesman said, "The Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions that we haven't seen anything in the data, but we will continue to look at the data, we will continue to look at the latest scientific evidence as we move through June toward June 21."

The latest death toll is expected to influence ministers' decisions on whether or not to relax restrictions.

They will also take into account the fact that the announcement of zero deaths comes after a long weekend, which may cause a delay in reporting the statistics.

Following a surge in cases of the new variation initially detected in India, experts are split on whether the last stage of relaxing social prohibitions should proceed.

Professor Adam Finn of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) warned that many people are still vulnerable to Covid-19's effects, and that "the idea that the job is somehow done is erroneous."

Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said a few weeks' delays could have a significant impact on Britain's fight against the pandemic, and that it should be made clear to the public that the delay is only temporary due to the increase in cases of the new variant.

And Pat Cullen, acting general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, advised ministers to keep an eye on the data, saying, “As the NHS begins its recovery journey, now is the moment to take cautious measures and not take an unfettered leap to freedom.”

However, Robert Dingwall, a sociology professor at Nottingham Trent University, believes that from a societal standpoint, it is critical to continue with the June 21 easing.

“I personally don't see any cause for delay,” he told Times Radio. From a social standpoint, I believe it is critical that we proceed on June 21, and I haven't seen anything in the statistics that leads me to doubt that as a thesis based on the facts to date.”

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has put a hold on proposals to loosen Covid restrictions across the country.

While sections of the country will go to Level 1 of the Scottish Government's coronavirus restrictions on Saturday, she said on Tuesday that much of the central belt, including Edinburgh, Dundee, and Glasgow, will remain in Level 2.

In a statement on limitations that she described as a "mixed bag," Ms. Sturgeon said the country was still at a "sensitive and sensitive juncture" in the fight against the virus.

Jason Leitch, Scotland's clinical director, warned that the Indian form "is posing a difficulty and spreading faster than we anticipated."

Publish : 2021-06-02 08:19:00

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