Britain: 'Difficult months are coming, the pandemic is not over'

Christmas can be difficult as the Covid-19 pandemic is not over, England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam warned today, urging people to be careful and get vaccinated with booster doses.

Britain reported 293 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, the highest number in the 24 hours since March, with an average of 40,000 new cases reported daily in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted the restrictions in England in July and has said he plans to tackle Covid during the winter with vaccinations rather than imposing masks or a lockdown.

"Difficult months ahead"

"Many people believe that this pandemic is over. "I personally feel that we have some difficult months ahead of us in the winter and that it is not over," Van Tam said on BBC television.

"Christmas and all the darker months of winter are potentially problematic," he said.

Johnson cited Britain's success in the initial vaccination campaign when he lifted the restrictions, but the slower rate of booster vaccination means that for many vulnerable people, immunity may be reduced.

Covid crisis 'is far from over'

The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) has announced that taking action now can reduce the need for tougher action later.

Jeremy Farrar, CEO of Wellcome, said he had resigned from SAGE to focus on his health charity, but added that the situation remained worrying.

"The Covid-19 crisis is far from over," Farrar said in a statement.

"The high levels of transmissibility we see in the UK remain worrying, but I resigned from SAGE knowing that ministers have received most of the important scientific advice they need for the winter months."

Source: amna.gr, Reuters