Concern in England for variant of covid-19 1:07
London (CNN) -
England's plan to lift all covid-19 restrictions on June 21 has been thwarted by the delta variant of the virus, Boris Johnson said Monday, despite the successful rollout of the vaccine in the United States. The United Kingdom, which has administered two doses to more than half of the adult population, the prevalence of the delta variant, first identified in India, has convinced the Prime Minister and his government that "Freedom Day" for English citizens, as some have called it, it must be delayed for four weeks, until July 19.
"Now is the time to let go of the accelerator, because if we are cautious now, we have the opportunity in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more," Johnson said at a news conference in Downing Street.
The variant is growing in the UK at a rate of 7% week-over-week and the government fears that if restrictions are fully lifted next Monday, then hospitalizations could rise to the levels seen in the country's first wave.
What we know about the delta variant of covid-19 that was first found in India and why it is so dangerous
The four-week interval will allow the government to speed up the administration of the second vaccine to the most vulnerable.
“Vaccination greatly reduces transmission and two doses provide a very high level of protection against serious illness and death, but there are still millions of young adults who have not been vaccinated and, sadly, a proportion of the elderly and people Vulnerable people can still succumb even if they have received two vaccinations, ”Johnson said.
The Public Health Office of England (PHE) reported Monday that the two main vaccines used in the UK are highly effective against the variant.
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PHE claims that the Oxford / AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine is 92% effective against the variant after two doses, while the Pfizer-BioNTech offers 96% protection after two doses.
Their research has found that although one dose is 17% less effective in protecting people from the delta variant compared to the alpha variant, the difference is much less after two.
Research in the UK: "Vaccines are efficient against new covid variants"
This means that the UK is in a race against time to get the doses applied in the next four weeks.
The government believes it will achieve this by reducing the interval between doses from 12 weeks to eight for those over 40.
Everyone over 40 who received a dose in mid-May will be offered a second by July 19, while everyone over 18 will have their first vaccine offered by that date.
Divided public opinion
Johnson firmly believes that this will be the last delay and that there will be no reason for it to last more than four weeks.
There is a possibility that the country will lift the restrictions earlier, on July 5, if the data supports it, although it does not seem likely.
The delay will almost certainly divide public opinion.
Although the majority of the public has been very supportive of the harsh covid-19 restrictions throughout the pandemic, Johnson's habit of turning 180 degrees could prove negative, as citizens and businesses have been busy doing it. plans for your summer of freedom.
British citizens have been living under some form of covid-19 restriction since March 23, 2020, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson darkly told the nation that, effective immediately, they must stay home to suppress the virus.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with a vial of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine during a visit to the Cwmbran Stadium Vaccination Center on February 17, 2021 in Cwmbran, Wales.
Since then, the history of covid in the UK has gone through many ups and downs, from failed test systems to thousands of deaths a day and the cancellation of Christmas celebrations.
Lawmakers from Johnson's Conservative Party are keeping tight in public, but are deeply uncomfortable with the delay in lifting the restrictions, precisely because of the vaccine's success.
A veteran member of parliament told CNN that, while "it is true that this variant is spreading," mortality rates and hospitalizations are low enough that the "damage caused by restrictions on the economy and quality of life »are simply not justified.
Another senior Conservative MP expressed anger that Johnson chose to announce the measures to the country "before bothering to tell us in Parliament," a criticism that has been leveled at the prime minister throughout the crisis.
“If you are going to do this without consulting us, you will have to offer us some kind of flexibility.
There must be some carrot, it cannot be all sticks.
Johnson offers a kind of "carrot."
Thousands of Britons have had to delay their weddings in the last 15 months.
As of Monday, the rules regarding weddings will be relaxed, eliminating the 30-person limit for attendees and relying, instead, that the venues obey the rules of physical distancing, that is, tables of six people and no dancing or singing.
Voices grow against closure
The majority of the public is likely to back Johnson, if we are guided by the above patterns.
"Since the beginning of the first shutdown, two long-term trends have emerged: the government is moving too slowly and not doing enough," says Joe Twyman, director of public opinion consultancy Deltapoll.
However, he also notes that as more people have been vaccinated and feel more and more confident about getting back to normal, this could change: “There is a sizeable minority of people who are now against closure and are increasingly louder, no matter their size.
Twyman says the best way to silence that noise will be to sell this as "the final stage of a popular and successful vaccine regimen," rather than "protecting hospitals again, making it sound like Groundhog Day."
Protesters hold banners as they participate in a protest against government restrictions designed to control or mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus, including the use of face masks and zippers, in London on November 28, 2020.
Simon Clarke, associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading, believes extending measures to even four weeks to vaccinate more people could have a big impact.
"When a virus circulates in the population, it can mutate," he says.
“Every time it replicates (infects) there is the possibility of a mutation.
Although most of them are neutral or even harmful to the virus, every now and then a mutation gives the virus a 'fitness advantage', making it more transmissible.
In short, the more people have a second dose, the less it can dangerously mutate. '
Whether or not Johnson's delay is welcomed by the public and legislators, it is something Johnson had desperately tried to avoid.
His personal policy has always tended to stay away from the central government saying what the citizens want.
The fact that he has had to lecture the public so often in the past 15 months is something the prime minister is well aware that could define his legacy as a leader.
And even if the public is broadly in favor of Johnson's drastic measures in the course of this crisis, it is impossible to deny that he is uncomfortable with a man whose greatest political victory was based on the premise that the British would regain control.
Boris JohnsonCovid-19