New Coronavirus News from 25 Oct 2021a

Corona crisis deepens in Russia - UNN [Uttarakhand News Network, 25 Oct 2021]

In many countries including Russia, the Covid-19 pandemic has started taking a terrible form again. The situation is such that the lockdown has to be announced in St. Petersburg, Russia.

There, restaurants, cafes and other non-essential categories of shops, establishments and institutions will remain closed from October 30 to November 7. During the last 24 hours, 35,660 new cases of corona were reported in Russia, while 37,678 cases were registered a day earlier. During this 1,072 people died. Chile reported 2,056 new cases in a single day since July.

Cases increased in China
Chinese officials said on Sunday that 43 new cases of corona infection have been found there during the last 24 hours. In a report released on Sunday by John Hopkins University, it has been told that 6.78 billion vaccines have been administered worldwide.

America most affected country
America remains the most affected country, where the number of infected has reached 4.54 million and the number of dead has reached 7.35 lakh. India ranks second in terms of infected (3.41 crores). The number of corona infected has increased to 2.17 crore in Brazil, 87.75 lakh in Britain, 80.78 lakh in Russia, 78.26 lakh in Turkey and 72.21 lakh in France. According to Reuters, the number of corona infected in Eastern Europe crossed 20 million on Sunday.

Australia launches vaccination campaign to compete with third wave
The Australian government on Sunday launched the next phase of a vaccination campaign to combat the third wave of Covid. Health Minister Greg Hunt was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that the campaign has been named ‘Spread Freedom’. People are being told that those vaccinated will be able to travel within the states and also abroad. About 86.6 percent of Australia’s population has taken at least one dose of the anti Covid vaccine. Hunt said that booster doses could be introduced in the country soon.

Delta-Plus havoc in UK
In the UK, more than fifty thousand cases have been reported in a few days. According to experts, the sub-strain Delta-Plus (named AY-4.2) of Corona’s Delta strain is believed to be more deadly than the Delta strain. It is being told that its transmission capacity is 15 percent more than the main Delta variant.

Russia's COVID-19 cases hit record as some regions impose curbs [Reuters, 25 Oct 2021]

by Gleb Stolyarov, Dmitry Antonov, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Mark Trevelyan

MOSCOW, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Russia reported its highest single-day COVID-19 case tally since the start of the pandemic on Mondayas some regions imposed a workplace shutdown to combat a surge in infections and deaths.

Faced with worsening infection rates and frustrated by the slow take-up of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine by its own population, authorities are introducing stricter measures this week to try to slow the spread of the pandemic.

President Vladimir Putin last week declared that Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 would be paid non-working days but said every region could extend that period or start it earlier depending on the epidemiological situation.

Six regions, including the Samara and Perm regions east of Moscow, began their non-working days on Monday, TASS news agency reported.

Putin also ordered a series of measures including increased testing, tighter monitoring of mask-wearing and social distancing and an acceleration of the vaccine campaign, with employees to get two paid days leave as a reward for getting inoculated.

From this Thursday, Moscow will introduce its tightest lockdown measures since June 2020, with only essential shops like supermarkets and pharmacies remaining open. read more
Unvaccinated over-60s in the capital have been ordered to lock down for four months starting Monday, and Moscow schools are also closed.

The government's coronavirus taskforce reported 37,930 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, a daily record, as well as 1,069 deaths related to the virus, six short of the record of 1,075 set on Saturday.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that economic support measures to compensate for the losses incurred by the restrictions were sufficient at this stage.

"All these measures work, and the situation is being monitored very closely," Peskov said. "The situation is difficult and everybody will carefully follow how it develops."

Russia marks another record number of daily COVID-19 cases [Associated Press, 25 Oct 2021]

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia reported another daily record of confirmed coronavirus cases Monday as a surge in infections has prompted the Kremlin to tell most people to stay away from work starting later this week.

The Russian government’s coronavirus task force tallied 37,930 new confirmed cases in 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The task force also reported 1,069 more COVID-19 deaths in the same period, slightly fewer than a record of 1,075 reached over the weekend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russians not to go to work between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7, when the country will observe an extended holiday. During that time, most state organizations and private businesses, except for those operating key infrastructure and a few others, are to halt work.

In some of Russia’s 85 regions where the situation is particularly grave, Putin said the nonworking period could begin earlier and be extended beyond Nov. 7. Six of them — Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Perm, Samara and Voronezh — started the off-work period Monday.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Officials in Moscow ordered it to begin Thursday, with gyms, most entertainment venues and most stores closed for 11 days along with kindergartens and schools. Restaurants and cafes will only be open for takeout or delivery orders during that period. Food stores and pharmacies can stay open.

Access to museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues will be limited to those holding digital codes on their smartphones to prove vaccination or past illness, a practice that will remain in place after Nov. 7.

Putin has also told local officials to order unvaccinated people older than 60 to stay home and close nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

Russian authorities hope the idle time will help limit the spread of the virus by keeping people out of offices and off public transportation, where mask mandates have been loosely enforced.
Overall, Russia has registered over 8.2 million confirmed virus cases and 231,669 deaths, by far the highest death toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.

The government has blamed the latest spike in infections and deaths on low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes toward taking precautions. Only about 45 million Russians — roughly a third of the country’s nearly 146 million people — are fully vaccinated.

Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine, launching Sputnik V in August 2020, and has plentiful supplies. But uptake has been slow, blamed in part on conflicting signals from authorities.

New Coronavirus News from 22 Oct 2021

As UK resists COVID measures, experts fear ‘devastating winter’ [Al Jazeera English, 22 Oct 2021]

By David Child

Daily cases have topped 50,000 and deaths are rising, but Boris Johnson’s government is refusing calls to re-enforce measures that scientists say would help contain the virus.

London, United Kingdom – Pressure is mounting on the United Kingdom’s government to re-enforce COVID-19 restrictions as infections surge, with medical experts warning of a looming crisis.

The UK reported 52,009 new cases on Thursday, the highest daily figure since July 17 and the ninth consecutive day that cases have topped the 40,000 mark.

The death toll is also climbing. On Tuesday, officials recorded the highest daily toll since early March, with 223 deaths. More than 8,000 people are currently hospitalised with the virus.

Alarmed by the situation, senior healthcare figures are publicly urging British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tackle transmission rates by making face masks mandatory, advising people to work from home and raising awareness about the benefits of ventilated public spaces.

Under a current “Plan A” to manage the pandemic in autumn and winter, officials are focused on third-shot booster vaccinations to millions of people and offering those aged 12-17 a single dose of the vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech.

Mask wearing, which has become far less common in recent months across the country, and social distancing are loosely encouraged but not mandatory.

Without immediate intervention, experts say more will needlessly die and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) risks becoming overwhelmed.

“If we carry on as we are now, we are going to have a very alarming and devastating winter crisis,” Zubaida Haque, a member of the non-government affiliated Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told Al Jazeera.

“And the worst part of that is that, unlike last autumn and winter, we [now] have the solutions,” she said, citing the second wave of COVID-19 infections that prompted Johnson to impose nationwide lockdowns.

“We have the vaccines and we know which public health protections are effective … but the government has removed all public health protections to protect the vaccination programme.”
Despite the clamour, the government is resisting calls to launch its “Plan B” contingency strategy.

Since removing almost all restrictions in England in mid-July – on a day Johnson dubbed “Freedom Day” – officials have pinned hopes on the national vaccination programme and natural immunity built up among the UK’s nearly 70 million-strong population to keep COVID-19 in check.

Johnson believes the UK should “learn to live with this virus” and government planning documents state ministers will not pivot to “Plan B” unless the NHS is deemed likely to come under “unsustainable pressure”.

What is ‘Plan B’?
Under “Plan B”, face masks in some settings would be mandatory and employees would be asked to work from home where possible. So-called vaccine passports could also be introduced, requiring people to show proof of vaccination, recovery from the virus or a recent negative test to enter some venues or attend mass events.

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government would not switch to its contingency plan “at this point”, but as he cautioned that cases could soon rise to 100,000 a day, he warned that slow vaccine uptake would increase the likelihood of restrictions.

But the chair of the British Medical Association, Chaand Nagpaul, said the time to act “is now”.
“It is wilfully negligent of the Westminster government not to be taking any further action to reduce the spread of infection, such as mandatory mask wearing, physical distancing and ventilation requirements in high-risk settings, particularly indoor crowded spaces,” Nagpaul said in a statement on Wednesday.

“These are measures that are the norm in many other nations,” he added, describing the UK as an “international outlier” on pandemic control.

Critics have repeatedly decried the UK government’s handling of the pandemic, suggesting it was slow to lockdown during the first and second waves in 2020 and then too quick in lifting restrictions this year.

“We are rapidly approaching a position where, yet again, the government is delaying for too long, and equivocating over taking action. This is the time to learn the lessons of the past and act fast, or else we will face far more extreme measures later,” Nagpaul said.

‘Clutching defeat from the jaws of victory’
Elsewhere in Western Europe, mask wearing is mandatory and vaccine certificates are in use. In these countries, such as France, Italy and Spain, infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths are lower than in the UK.

Christina Pagel, a member of Independent SAGE and director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit at University College London, said the disparity demonstrates the UK’s overreliance on vaccines.

About 86 percent of people aged 12 and above have received a first dose of vaccine, while 79 percent have been fully vaccinated with two doses.

“Vaccines alone will not be able to control this pandemic unless you get to a stage where well over 90 per cent of the population are protected,” she told Al Jazeera.

“Relatively small changes in behaviour could bring cases down quite quickly,” Pagel said, suggesting mandatory mask wearing in settings such as classrooms, an increased emphasis on ventilation in public spaces and the use of vaccine passports.

“We need the extra stuff, at least until we get to a situation where we have vaccinated enough people,” she said. “We’ve seen that in other European countries, where they didn’t rely entirely on their vaccine programme, that they have had much better control over COVID and are now going into winter with far lower rates.”

The UK raced ahead during the early stages of its immunisation drive but comparable Western European countries have since caught up with and surpassed its vaccine coverage.

Britain’s efforts are now plagued by a sluggish campaign to deliver booster shots to those aged above 50, as well as lower vaccine uptake among young adults and teenagers at a time when students have returned to schools and universities.

Waning immunity among those who were jabbed early on and the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant have also contributed to the current crisis.

“The UK response has been a matter of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory,” Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told Al Jazeera.

“We looked in a good place after the initial vaccine rollout, but now the situation looks bleak indeed,” he said.

Altmann conceded the UK may need to “learn to live with COVID-19” given the unlikelihood of now eliminating the virus altogether, but warned that should not mean giving up on efforts to contain it.

“We seem to be using the term rather as a synonym for ‘learn to tolerate a truly tragic level of wholly avoidable deaths since we can’t be bothered with simple mitigations’,” he said. “That’s not how one should practice medicine.”

New Coronavirus News from 23 Oct 2021

UK government paves way to bring in tough ‘plan B’ Covid rules [The Guardian, 23 Oct 2021]

Michael Savage, Robin McKie and James Tapper

Councils consulted over support for measures such as vaccine passports amid warnings by senior doctors that NHS faces winter illness ‘triple whammy’

New evidence has emerged that the government is paving the way to implement “plan B” measures in England to combat the spread of Covid-19, amid warnings from health chiefs that a “vortex of pressures” is encircling the NHS.

In the clearest sign to date that Whitehall is actively considering additional measures, the Observer has learnt that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted local authorities on Friday to canvass their level of support for the “immediate rollout of the winter plan – plan B”.

The disclosure comes as senior doctors warn that operations are already being cancelled due to NHS staffing shortages and scientists warn of “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter, with Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes cold-like symptoms but can be serious for children and older adults.

Boris Johnson has so far publicly resisted suggestions that he should order the implementation of plan B, a menu of measures which includes the use of vaccine passports at higher-risk venues and mass gatherings, as well as legally mandating the use of face masks in some settings.

However, in a memo marked “official – sensitive”, the agency states that it was urgently seeking the views of council chief executives and leaders to be fed directly into the Cabinet Office.

“This is a tight turnaround as you might appreciate and so a response by close of play would be really helpful,” it states.

A UKHSA spokesperson said they would not comment on leaks, adding: “It is part of UKHSA’s role to provide advice to the government on the ongoing response to the pandemic.” A government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring all the data closely, and the prime minister has been clear that it does not yet show that plan B is necessary. But it is ready should we need to act to avoid a rise in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.”

Downing Street is still hoping that an accelerated booster jab programme can fend off the need for additional measures.

The prime minister on Saturday issued a desperate call to arms for everyone over 50 to have a booster jab when offered one. “Vaccines are our way through this winter,” Johnson said. “We’ve made phenomenal progress but our job isn’t finished yet, and we know that vaccine protection can drop after six months. To keep yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you safe, please get your booster when you get the call.

“This is a call to everyone, whether you’re eligible for a booster, haven’t got round to your second dose yet, or your child is eligible for a dose – vaccines are safe, they save lives, and they are our way out of this pandemic.”

A further 44,985 Covid cases were reported on Saturday, more than 4,000 fewer than the previous day. Another 135 deaths were reported in England. It came as one of the government’s scientific advisers said he feared another “lockdown Christmas”. Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said putting measures in place now in order to “get transmission rates right down” was key to having “a wonderful family Christmas where we can all get back together”.

Despite ministerial claims that thousands of beds remain available in the NHS, senior doctors said that operations were already being cancelled. Dr Stephen Webb, president of the Intensive Care Society, said: “In many places, the planned urgent surgery that needs to be done is being cancelled. This is not because of a lack of physical beds, it’s because of a lack of staffing to be able to open those beds. We’ve heard about urgent cardiac surgery being cancelled, major bowel surgery being cancelled, because these patients needs post-operative intensive care beds. That’s not just in one or two areas – that’s across the country.”

NHS officials warned that Covid pressures were adding to staffing issues, efforts to deal with surgery backlogs, long waits in emergency departments and difficulties caused by other infections. “It’s a whole bundle of issues coming together, which form a vortex of pressure,” said Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers. “What Covid has done is exacerbated these challenges and thrown some extra things in.”

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, who has already called for plan B measures, said: “You [the government] have got to recognise that we need a national mobilisation. You’ve got to recognise there is a health and care crisis coming over the next three or four months and accept it, acknowledge it and encourage the public to do everything they can to help. We may need to just get used to the fact that the booster campaign needs to happen every six months and prepare for that, so I welcome the fact that government has stepped up the message there.”

A senior scientist also warned that the nation faces “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter. On top of Covid and flu, comes the threat from disease triggered by RSV, one of the most common causes of coughs and colds in winter. For most people, infection causes mild respiratory illness but in the very young and the elderly, RSV infections can trigger severe illnesses such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia and can lead to hospitalisation and even death.

“We had very few – almost no cases – of RSV last year and that is a worry,” said virologist Prof David Matthews of Bristol University. “Immunity to RSV only lasts a couple of years after previous infections. Because of lockdown RSV rates were very low in the UK last winter. That means there is very little RSV immunity left in the population. For good measure there is no RSV vaccine to protect against the disease.”

The country is now highly vulnerable to RSV infections, Matthews said. “That is a real worry because infections are very capable of putting both the elderly and the very young in hospital and at present we probably have very little immunity to the disease.

“Together with influenza and Covid-19 we are facing a triple whammy this winter, one that could have a grim impact on the NHS. It is extremely worrying. It is another reason we need to keep Covid cases to a minimum and get vaccines – boosters and for children – into as many people as possible.”

Saturday’s coronavirus news: Russia defends Sputnik V vaccine; Britain’s weekly cases at highest since July [The Guardian, 23 Oct 2021]

Michael Savage, Robin McKie and James Tapper

Councils consulted over support for measures such as vaccine passports amid warnings by senior doctors that NHS faces winter illness ‘triple whammy’

New evidence has emerged that the government is paving the way to implement “plan B” measures in England to combat the spread of Covid-19, amid warnings from health chiefs that a “vortex of pressures” is encircling the NHS.

In the clearest sign to date that Whitehall is actively considering additional measures, the Observer has learnt that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted local authorities on Friday to canvass their level of support for the “immediate rollout of the winter plan – plan B”.

The disclosure comes as senior doctors warn that operations are already being cancelled due to NHS staffing shortages and scientists warn of “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter, with Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes cold-like symptoms but can be serious for children and older adults.

Boris Johnson has so far publicly resisted suggestions that he should order the implementation of plan B, a menu of measures which includes the use of vaccine passports at higher-risk venues and mass gatherings, as well as legally mandating the use of face masks in some settings.

However, in a memo marked “official – sensitive”, the agency states that it was urgently seeking the views of council chief executives and leaders to be fed directly into the Cabinet Office.
“This is a tight turnaround as you might appreciate and so a response by close of play would be really helpful,” it states.

A UKHSA spokesperson said they would not comment on leaks, adding: “It is part of UKHSA’s role to provide advice to the government on the ongoing response to the pandemic.” A government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring all the data closely, and the prime minister has been clear that it does not yet show that plan B is necessary. But it is ready should we need to act to avoid a rise in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.”

Downing Street is still hoping that an accelerated booster jab programme can fend off the need for additional measures.

The prime minister on Saturday issued a desperate call to arms for everyone over 50 to have a booster jab when offered one. “Vaccines are our way through this winter,” Johnson said. “We’ve made phenomenal progress but our job isn’t finished yet, and we know that vaccine protection can drop after six months. To keep yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you safe, please get your booster when you get the call.

“This is a call to everyone, whether you’re eligible for a booster, haven’t got round to your second dose yet, or your child is eligible for a dose – vaccines are safe, they save lives, and they are our way out of this pandemic.”

A further 44,985 Covid cases were reported on Saturday, more than 4,000 fewer than the previous day. Another 135 deaths were reported in England. It came as one of the government’s scientific advisers said he feared another “lockdown Christmas”. Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said putting measures in place now in order to “get transmission rates right down” was key to having “a wonderful family Christmas where we can all get back together”.

Despite ministerial claims that thousands of beds remain available in the NHS, senior doctors said that operations were already being cancelled. Dr Stephen Webb, president of the Intensive Care Society, said: “In many places, the planned urgent surgery that needs to be done is being cancelled. This is not because of a lack of physical beds, it’s because of a lack of staffing to be able to open those beds. We’ve heard about urgent cardiac surgery being cancelled, major bowel surgery being cancelled, because these patients needs post-operative intensive care beds. That’s not just in one or two areas – that’s across the country.”

NHS officials warned that Covid pressures were adding to staffing issues, efforts to deal with surgery backlogs, long waits in emergency departments and difficulties caused by other infections. “It’s a whole bundle of issues coming together, which form a vortex of pressure,” said Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers. “What Covid has done is exacerbated these challenges and thrown some extra things in.”

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, who has already called for plan B measures, said: “You [the government] have got to recognise that we need a national mobilisation. You’ve got to recognise there is a health and care crisis coming over the next three or four months and accept it, acknowledge it and encourage the public to do everything they can to help. We may need to just get used to the fact that the booster campaign needs to happen every six months and prepare for that, so I welcome the fact that government has stepped up the message there.”

A senior scientist also warned that the nation faces “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter. On top of Covid and flu, comes the threat from disease triggered by RSV, one of the most common causes of coughs and colds in winter. For most people, infection causes mild respiratory illness but in the very young and the elderly, RSV infections can trigger severe illnesses such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia and can lead to hospitalisation and even death.
“We had very few – almost no cases – of RSV last year and that is a worry,” said virologist Prof David Matthews of Bristol University. “Immunity to RSV only lasts a couple of years after previous infections. Because of lockdown RSV rates were very low in the UK last winter. That means there is very little RSV immunity left in the population. For good measure there is no RSV vaccine to protect against the disease.”

The country is now highly vulnerable to RSV infections, Matthews said. “That is a real worry because infections are very capable of putting both the elderly and the very young in hospital and at present we probably have very little immunity to the disease.

“Together with influenza and Covid-19 we are facing a triple whammy this winter, one that could have a grim impact on the NHS. It is extremely worrying. It is another reason we need to keep Covid cases to a minimum and get vaccines – boosters and for children – into as many people as possible.”

New variant? No masks? Here's what's driving the U.K.'s Covid surge [NBC News, 23 Oct 2021]

By Chantal Da Silva

LONDON — What a difference three months can make.

On July 19, Britons celebrated as England marked "Freedom Day," seeing a near-full lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths were relatively low, even if cases continued to rise, and the country's vaccination rollout was largely lauded as a success internationally.

On Thursday, there were more than 50,000 infections recorded in the U.K. in a single day — the highest daily count since mid-July and a higher number than reported in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal combined. The country also saw 115 deaths, with Tuesday marking a daily death toll of 223 people — the highest since March.

Meanwhile, 1 in 55 people in England were estimated to have had Covid in the week up to Oct. 16, according to the U.K. Office for National Statistics, which means as many as 1 million people may have been infected with the virus that week alone.

The rising deaths, spiraling infection rates and overstretched public health system have prompted calls for the government to reassess the lifting of lockdown and containment measures.

"I think that everyone feels concerned as to what might happen over winter," said Dr. Layla McCay, policy director of the National Health Service Confederation, which represents the health care system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "It is better to act now than to regret it later."

Experts said there are a range of factors driving Britain's current surge. As the pandemic nears the two-year mark, they are closely monitoring the country's response to rising cases and whether the U.K. is a warning sign for the rest of the world.

NBC News investigated the cocktail of factors driving Britain’s surge and the lessons that can be gleaned from the country’s experience.

Waning vaccines

Britain was one of the first countries to start vaccinating its population, so Britons enjoyed a return to so-called normal life earlier than most.

But now, there are fears that the immunity gained from Covid vaccinations is starting to wane as the delta variant — which has accounted for approximately 99.8 percent of sequenced cases in England, according to a recent government report — as well as a mutation of the variant known as "delta plus" continue to spread.

"Those deaths are not inevitable. They're preventable."
DR. DEEPTI GURDASANI, CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

In addition, the government delayed vaccinating secondary school students, which likely has had a big impact on the virus's spread, according to Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London.

"I think we paid a very high price for our reticence and delay in vaccinating secondary school children and lost probably a few months on that," he said.

Recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that 1 in 14 secondary school-age children had tested positive for Covid in the week ending Oct. 2.

Because the U.K. rolled out its vaccination program earlier than the rest of Europe, that could also mean protection is waning sooner, especially among older recipients, Altmann added.
"We all assumed that these vaccines would be good and keep us safe for a good year or two, and that possibly would have been true if delta hadn't come along," he said.
Yet, even with the spread of the delta variant, he said the rollout of booster jabs in the U.K. has been slow, which could also be lending to high case rates in the U.K., despite nearly 80 percent of the population over the age of 12 having been fully vaccinated, according to government data.

Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, said she also believed the rollout of the U.K.'s vaccination program, as well as its slow release of booster vaccines, have played a role in the continued rise of Covid cases.

Did 'freedom' come too soon?

The U.K. government's decision to not maintain or reinstate certain Covid containment measures, such as masks being mandatory in enclosed spaces, were also behind the rise, Gurdasani said.

"If you look throughout the pandemic, you can see there is a clear correlation between the level of restrictions in a country and what's happening in the pandemic," she said. "When we have a lockdown, cases always go down because it is an airborne virus."

While many countries across Europe and around the world have maintained different levels of Covid restrictions, including mask mandates, the British government has remained adamant in its commitment to England’s full reopening.

"There is no other way to explain the differences in the pandemic globally," she said. "And there's nothing special about the U.K. population making this happen. ... It's very, very clearly the consequence of policies here compared to the rest of the world."

Mandatory-mask rules do exist on public transport systems, with face coverings required across the Transport for London network, which includes the capital’s underground train system, but those rules are not always complied with, nor regularly enforced.

Ravi Gupta of the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease agreed with Gurdasani that maintaining restrictions might have helped avoid the U.K.'s current predicament.

"The relaxation [of rules] that happened over summer was a fairly drastic month going from, you know, quite, quite tight measures to very few restrictions," Gupta said. "And I think that, in retrospect, a more graded approach may have prevented the surge that we’re seeing."

The government also abandoned plans to enforce a vaccine passport system in England, with British Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying in September he did not "like the idea at all of people having to ... present papers to do basic things." Wales and Scotland have introduced versions of their own vaccine verification systems, however.

Rise of the variants

The emergences of the delta and then the so-called delta plus variant have garnered attention and produced some fear.

But Gurdasani and Gupta agreed that the arrival of the delta plus variant, which is a mutated version of the delta variant, shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

"I’m not convinced that this is a major step change for the virus," Gupta said.

"It may have an incremental or a small effect on its infectiousness or its ability to avoid immunity," Gupta added, saying it was an expected type of mutation, given the high infection rates.

While the U.K. Health Security Agency issued a report Oct. 15 warning the delta plus variant appeared to be "expanding," it accounted for around 6 percent of Covid cases in the U.K. Gurdasani said at the moment, it does not appear to be the main driver of the rise in Covid cases.

Still, both she and Gupta agreed it was important to keep a close eye on it and other variants.
Ultimately, Altmann said it would be "foolhardy" to try to blame the rise in Covid cases and deaths in the U.K. "on one thing more than the other."

"Things that seem like very minor piecemeal mitigation all add up together on a massive scale," he said. "If you put together ... mask-wearing and ventilation and filters and work from home and transport policy ... and vaccine rollout and you get each one of those a little bit wrong as I think the U.K. probably has, you can end up paying a disproportionately high price for it."

Calls for 'plan B'

The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is coming under growing pressure to reimpose restrictions in light of the surging cases and deaths.

On Wednesday, Javid resisted calls for a "plan B" approach, even as he confirmed that Covid cases in the U.K. could reach 100,000 a day as winter approaches.

Speaking at his first news conference since taking up the position June 26 — following former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s resignation the same day, after he was caught breaching social distancing guidelines by kissing a colleague — Javid acknowledged the NHS has been under "greater pressure."

The situation was not yet "unsustainable," he said, adding that Covid-related deaths in the U.K. "remain mercifully low."

Still, he acknowledged that deaths were "sadly over 100 a day." And at an estimated 2 daily deaths per 1 million people as of Wednesday, according to Our World in Data, the U.K.'s rate is more than double that of Germany's, more than triple that of Spain's and Italy's and more than four times that of France's.

Rather than imposing new restrictions, Javid warned that Britons must all "play our part" and focus on getting vaccinated, including with Covid boosters and flu jabs, to avoid the return of coronavirus rules.

Jonathan Ashworth, a senior member of the opposition Labour Party, struck out at Javid’s response.

"The NHS is not just under pressure; it’s under water," he said in an interview with Sky News, which is owned by NBC News' parent company Comcast.

Ashworth said doctors, nurses and other NHS staff were facing "immense" pressure, and he said he was "shocked that the health secretary was so casual in dismissing them."

Gurdasani agreed, saying she "cannot understand how anyone can say that the number of deaths we are having every week, between 800 to 1,000 deaths every week" are mercifully low.
"Those deaths are not inevitable. They're preventable," she said.

If the country does not change its approach, Gurdasani said she expected those numbers only to rise in the months ahead.

"Most of Western Europe hasn’t accepted that we need to live with that level of deaths," she said. "And you don’t need massive sacrifices to reduce them."

New Coronavirus News from 24 Oct 2021

New COVID-19 subvariant is spreading in UK: What we know [WSAV-TV, 24 Oct 2021]

by: Michael Bartiromo

(NEXSTAR) — A new offshoot of the COVID-19 delta variant was responsible for approximately 6% of cases in the United Kingdom as of late September, according to officials with the U.K. Health Security Agency.

The subvariant, known as AY.4.2, is not yet a variant of concern (VOC) or even a variant of interest (VOI), though officials confirmed that cases appeared to be on an “increasing” trajectory in an Oct. 15 report.

“A Delta sublineage newly designated as AY.4.2 is noted to be expanding in England,” the UK Health Security Agency wrote in its report. “It is now a signal in monitoring and assessment has commenced.”

WHO: Europe the only region with rise in COVID-19 last week
Researchers have determined that AY.4.2 contains two spike mutations — A222V and Y145H — that have already been observed in other variants. Neither of those mutations, however, had been observed in any variant deemed to be a VOC, or variant of concern.

Commenting on the mutations, Prof. Francois Balloux of the UCL Genetics Institute in London told the U.K.’s Science Media Centre that the presence of both A222V and Y145H does not necessarily mean AY.4.2 is more transmissible than other variants, though he said it’s possible.

“Neither mutation is a priori an obvious candidate for increased viral transmissibility, but we have learnt that mutations can have different, sometimes unexpected, effects in different strains,” said Balloux on Tuesday.

On Twitter, Balloux further noted that AY.4.2 might actually be “intrinsically more transmissible,” citing its unchanged trajectory of rising cases, as well as the areas of the UK where cases have been observed. (Infections don’t seem “region-specific,” he said).

Outside of the U.K. and Denmark, cases of AY.4.2 currently appear to be rarer, though reports indicate cases have now been observed in the U.S., Canada, and Israel.

Still, concerns are rising in the U.S. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted on Sunday that “urgent research” is needed to determine the transmissibility of the subvariant, as well as its possible resistance to vaccines.

“This is not a cause for immediate concern but a reminder that we need robust systems to identify, characterize new variants,” Gottlieb added. “This needs to be a coordinated, global priority for COVID, same as similar international efforts have become standard practice in influenza.”

Remarking on the release of the U.K. Health Security Agency’s findings, a representative for the prime minister has said the government is also “keeping a very close eye on” the numbers.

FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids
“There’s no evidence [to suggest increased transmissibility], but as you would expect, we’re monitoring it closely and won’t hesitate to take action if necessary,” the representative told Sky News.

While it’s unclear for certain whether the AY.4.2 subvariant is more transmissible, U.K. health officials are investigating the possibility of transmissibility and immunity-evading traits.

Balloux, for one, does not yet believe AY.4.2 is an “obvious” candidate for elevation to a VOC.

“The emergence of yet another more transmissible strain would be suboptimal,” he told the Science Media Centre. “Though, this is not a situation comparable to the emergence of Alpha and Delta that were far more transmissible (50% or more) than any strain in circulation at the time. Here we are dealing with a potential small increase in transmissibility that would not have a comparable impact on the pandemic.”

Covid: Labour calls for Plan B measures in England [BBC News, 24 Oct 2021]

Michael Savage, Robin McKie and James Tapper

Councils consulted over support for measures such as vaccine passports amid warnings by senior doctors that NHS faces winter illness ‘triple whammy’

Labour is calling on the government to bring in its Plan B measures to tackle Covid in England, including advice to work from home and compulsory masks.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves also told the BBC the vaccine programme was "stalling" and needed to work better.

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the data did not currently suggest "immediately moving to Plan B".

The measures, which aim to protect the NHS from "unsustainable pressure", also includes mandatory Covid passports.

Plan A, which is currently in place, involves offering booster jabs to the most vulnerable, a single dose to healthy 12 to 15-year-olds and encouraging unvaccinated people to get jabbed.
The NHS Confederation and the British Medical Association are among the groups who have called for some restrictions to be reintroduced in England, amid rising cases.

Meanwhile in Wales, ministers are to consider whether to extend the use of Covid passes for a wider range of venues.
• What is Plan B for Covid this winter?
• When can I get my Covid booster jab?
• Why are UK Covid cases so high?

Ms Reeves told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I think the first thing is the government have got to do more to make Plan A work.

"If the scientists are saying work from home and masks, we should do that. So get A working better because the vaccination programme has been stalling, and introduce those parts of Plan B.

"But there are also things not in A or B that need to be done, like paying statutory sick pay from day one and also better ventilation in public spaces."

Asked whether Plan B should be introduced now, she said: "Yes, but let's not let the government off the hook with Plan A either."

A Conservative Party spokesman said it was the third time Labour had changed its position on Plan B in four days.

Appearing on the same programme, Mr Sunak was also asked whether it was time to bring in the government's back-up plan.

"We're monitoring everything, but at the moment the data does not suggest that we should be immediately moving to Plan B, but of course we will keep an eye on that and the plans are ready," he said.

The chancellor also said reintroducing the furlough scheme was "not on the cards because we don't envisage having to impose significant economic restrictions in the way that we had to over the last year".

He added that the vaccine rollout was the "first line of defence" and the booster campaign was the best way to protect people through the winter.

More than 325,000 booster jabs were given in England on Saturday - the biggest daily figure for boosters yet, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard tweeted.

Prof Adam Finn, a member of the government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the vaccination programme by itself was not enough "to bring things under control".

"We do need to have people using lateral flow tests, avoiding contact with large numbers of people in enclosed spaces, using masks, all of those things now need to happen if we're going to stop this rise and get things under control soon enough to stop a real meltdown in the middle of the winter," he told Sky News' Trevor Phillips On Sunday.

Asked if the government should move to Plan B now, he said: "Well, some kind of Plan B."
The Liberal Democrats said it looked "increasingly likely" Covid restrictions would have to be reintroduced because of the "government's bungling and inaction".

Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told the programme emergency departments were "already struggling to cope", with large queues of ambulances waiting outside hospitals.

Analysis
by Jim Reed

One in 55 people in England had Covid last week, according to the latest ONS figures, the highest rate since the end of January.

Demands for compulsory mask wearing, vaccine passports and more working from home have been growing - backed by many doctors and people representing NHS trusts.

Labour's position has not been altogether clear on this.

When asked by Andrew Marr whether Plan B should be introduced "now", shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves agreed. But she also suggested the priority should be accelerating the rollout of booster vaccines to the over-50s and first jabs to teenagers.

On the same programme, Chancellor Rishi Sunak repeatedly ruled out reimposing stricter measures "immediately" - perhaps suggesting a slight change of tone from senior ministers.

The key measure to watch for is pressure on hospitals.

As things stand, there are currently 6,405 people being treated for Covid on wards in England. The number has been rising but is still no higher than it was in mid-September - and well below the 34,000 seen in January.

In minutes of a meeting of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on 14 October, which were published on Friday, the scientists said restrictions should be prepared for "rapid deployment" and that acting earlier could reduce the need for stricter measures over a longer time period.

They said that out of the government's back-up measures, advising people to work from home was likely to have the most impact on the spread of Covid.

Stricter rules are already in place in other parts of the UK, with masks compulsory in some settings in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

On Sunday, the UK reported 39,962 new cases - the first time in 12 days that cases have dropped below 40,000.

There were also another 72 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test.
In other developments:
• Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC it was "imperative" Boris Johnson did what he could to stop rising Covid cases in the UK, as she called on the prime minister to introduce mandatory vaccines for places such as restaurants and offices
• Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated over the half-term break, with families now able to book appointments for 12 to 15-year-olds online at normal vaccination centres
• New rules allowing fully vaccinated travellers returning to England to take lateral flow tests instead of more expensive PCR tests have come into force

New evidence has emerged that the government is paving the way to implement “plan B” measures in England to combat the spread of Covid-19, amid warnings from health chiefs that a “vortex of pressures” is encircling the NHS.

In the clearest sign to date that Whitehall is actively considering additional measures, the Observer has learnt that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted local authorities on Friday to canvass their level of support for the “immediate rollout of the winter plan – plan B”.

The disclosure comes as senior doctors warn that operations are already being cancelled due to NHS staffing shortages and scientists warn of “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter, with Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes cold-like symptoms but can be serious for children and older adults.

Boris Johnson has so far publicly resisted suggestions that he should order the implementation of plan B, a menu of measures which includes the use of vaccine passports at higher-risk venues and mass gatherings, as well as legally mandating the use of face masks in some settings.

However, in a memo marked “official – sensitive”, the agency states that it was urgently seeking the views of council chief executives and leaders to be fed directly into the Cabinet Office.
“This is a tight turnaround as you might appreciate and so a response by close of play would be really helpful,” it states.

A UKHSA spokesperson said they would not comment on leaks, adding: “It is part of UKHSA’s role to provide advice to the government on the ongoing response to the pandemic.” A government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring all the data closely, and the prime minister has been clear that it does not yet show that plan B is necessary. But it is ready should we need to act to avoid a rise in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.”

Downing Street is still hoping that an accelerated booster jab programme can fend off the need for additional measures.

The prime minister on Saturday issued a desperate call to arms for everyone over 50 to have a booster jab when offered one. “Vaccines are our way through this winter,” Johnson said. “We’ve made phenomenal progress but our job isn’t finished yet, and we know that vaccine protection can drop after six months. To keep yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you safe, please get your booster when you get the call.

“This is a call to everyone, whether you’re eligible for a booster, haven’t got round to your second dose yet, or your child is eligible for a dose – vaccines are safe, they save lives, and they are our way out of this pandemic.”

A further 44,985 Covid cases were reported on Saturday, more than 4,000 fewer than the previous day. Another 135 deaths were reported in England. It came as one of the government’s scientific advisers said he feared another “lockdown Christmas”. Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said putting measures in place now in order to “get transmission rates right down” was key to having “a wonderful family Christmas where we can all get back together”.

Despite ministerial claims that thousands of beds remain available in the NHS, senior doctors said that operations were already being cancelled. Dr Stephen Webb, president of the Intensive Care Society, said: “In many places, the planned urgent surgery that needs to be done is being cancelled. This is not because of a lack of physical beds, it’s because of a lack of staffing to be able to open those beds. We’ve heard about urgent cardiac surgery being cancelled, major bowel surgery being cancelled, because these patients needs post-operative intensive care beds. That’s not just in one or two areas – that’s across the country.”

NHS officials warned that Covid pressures were adding to staffing issues, efforts to deal with surgery backlogs, long waits in emergency departments and difficulties caused by other infections. “It’s a whole bundle of issues coming together, which form a vortex of pressure,” said Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers. “What Covid has done is exacerbated these challenges and thrown some extra things in.”

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, who has already called for plan B measures, said: “You [the government] have got to recognise that we need a national mobilisation. You’ve got to recognise there is a health and care crisis coming over the next three or four months and accept it, acknowledge it and encourage the public to do everything they can to help. We may need to just get used to the fact that the booster campaign needs to happen every six months and prepare for that, so I welcome the fact that government has stepped up the message there.”

A senior scientist also warned that the nation faces “a triple whammy” of respiratory illnesses this winter. On top of Covid and flu, comes the threat from disease triggered by RSV, one of the most common causes of coughs and colds in winter. For most people, infection causes mild respiratory illness but in the very young and the elderly, RSV infections can trigger severe illnesses such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia and can lead to hospitalisation and even death.
“We had very few – almost no cases – of RSV last year and that is a worry,” said virologist Prof David Matthews of Bristol University. “Immunity to RSV only lasts a couple of years after previous infections. Because of lockdown RSV rates were very low in the UK last winter. That means there is very little RSV immunity left in the population. For good measure there is no RSV vaccine to protect against the disease.”

The country is now highly vulnerable to RSV infections, Matthews said. “That is a real worry because infections are very capable of putting both the elderly and the very young in hospital and at present we probably have very little immunity to the disease.

“Together with influenza and Covid-19 we are facing a triple whammy this winter, one that could have a grim impact on the NHS. It is extremely worrying. It is another reason we need to keep Covid cases to a minimum and get vaccines – boosters and for children – into as many people as possible.”

Covid news: Cases rise by 40,000 as people urged to use masks and tests to prevent ‘real meltdown’ [The Independent, 24 Oct 2021]

By Tom Batchelor

Covid rates in the UK are “astonishingly high” and have become “unacceptable”, a leading virus expert who advises the government has said, as pressure builds on ministers to reintroduce restrictions.

Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What we’re facing at the moment is unacceptable, we’ve got roughly one in 55 people infected, which is an astonishingly high rate compared to most other west European countries.”

He described elements included in plan B – such as mandatory use of face masks and work-from-home instructions – as “sensible” and said they need not be “very disruptive”.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said last week that new cases could reach 100,000 a day, but Downing Street has insisted there is still spare capacity in the NHS and that plan B will only be activated if it comes under “significant pressure”.

Get your booster jab, NHS and government tell public
A senior health chief has urged people to get their Covid booster jab as the NHS sends out a further two million invites this week.

NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said infection rates are rising, while the government again ruled out a move to its coronavirus plan B despite calls to bring in measures to curb the spread of the virus.

NHS England said more than 5 million people have already been given the additional jab since the vaccination programme began administering them last month.

And on Sunday, it said more than 800,000 people had their booster in the past 72 hours.
Tom Batchelor25 October 2021 08:11

20 minutes ago

Covid cases ‘astonishingly high’ and plan B is ‘sensible’, says virus expert
Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), has been speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He suggested ministers should be giving “clear leadership” on the issue of face masks and working from home in order to curb the spread of the Covid.

Prof Openshaw said: “I don’t think it’s a binary go for plan B or nothing, it’s very clear that the measures that are in included in plan B are sensible and not very disruptive.

“It’s not problematic to give clear leadership about the use of face masks, and working at home if you can is also not particularly disruptive for many people.

“Those measures are likely to lead to a pretty good reduction in the really unacceptable number of cases that we’ve got at the moment.

“To my mind, the introduction of vaccine passports is also fine - it’s been accepted very easily in most other western European countries.

“It’s very sensible, if you were going into a crowded indoor space and knew everyone there had been fully vaccinated and perhaps had had a rapid test on the day, you’d feel much more secure about going into that space.”

He added: “What we’re facing at the moment is unacceptable we’ve got roughly one in 55 people infected, which is an astonishingly high rate compared to most other west European countries.

“This is connected with the lack of clear messaging about sensible measures that we should all be taking in order to reduce the spread of infection.”

Britain reports highest weekly COVID-19 cases since July [Reuters UK, 24 Oct 2021]

By David Milliken

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Britain recorded the highest number of new cases of COVID-19 since July over the past week, government figures showed on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson played down the prospect of a return to lockdown.

Some 333,465 people in Britain tested positive for COVID-19 over the past seven days, up 15% on the previous week and the highest total since the seven days to July 21.

Daily figures showed there were 44,985 new cases on Saturday, down from 49,298 on Friday. Daily death figures were only available for England, and showed 135 fatalities within 28 days of a positive test.

Deaths have risen by 12% over the past week, and the total since the start of the pandemic now stands at 139,461, the second highest in Europe after Russia.

While vaccination and better medical treatment have sharply reduced deaths compared with previous waves of the disease, hospitals are already stretched and Britain's current death rate is far higher than many of its European neighbours.

Government health advisors said on Friday that preparations should be made for the possible reintroduction of measures to slow the spread of the disease, such as working from home, as acting early would reduce the need for tougher measures later.

Johnson, however, said he did not expect a return to lockdown.

"We see absolutely nothing to indicate that is on the cards at all," he said on Friday.

Why Are U.K. COVID Cases Soaring? [New York Magazine, 24 Oct 2021]

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

Last Thursday, three months after the U.K. celebrated Freedom Day and ended COVID-19 restrictions, the country recorded more than 50,000 infections — the highest number of daily cases since mid-July. Weeks from the onset of winter, infection and hospitalization rates are more than six times higher than other large nations in Europe, while the death rate is three times greater. The U.K.’s health minister warned this week that, lacking fast action to curb the spread of the virus, cases could climb as high as 100,000 a day heading into the winter. Below is a look at the factors that may be contributing to the surge.

Prematurely Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions
Virtually all of the nation’s restrictions were lifted in July thanks to the progress in its vaccine rollout, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to “begin to learn to live with this virus.” Now, Johnson has admitted that the level of COVID-19 cases is “high” and he is “watching the numbers very carefully every day.” However, he has insisted he is “sticking with our plan.”

Meanwhile, health experts are pressing the British government to reimpose those social restrictions — such as wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces — as cases rise and hospitals fill. On Wednesday, the NHS Confederation, which represents organizations in the country’s health service, urged the government to move to its “Plan B” raft of measures, which include the use of vaccine passports and mandatory face masks in crowded and enclosed spaces. So far, the government has ruled out the move.

“The relaxation [of rules] that happened over summer was a fairly drastic month going from, you know, quite, quite tight measures to very few restrictions,” Ravi Gupta of the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease told NBC News. “And I think that, in retrospect, a more graded approach may have prevented the surge that we’re seeing.”

Waning Immunity and Vaccine Efficacy There’s been concern that protection from catching the virus wanes over time. The U.K. started its vaccination campaign in December of last year, before many other countries, suggesting they’ll be one of the first to see a drop in vaccine-based immunity. The country also largely relied on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been found to protect slightly less well against infection and transmission than available mRNA vaccines.

On Saturday, Johnson issued a desperate call to arms for everyone over 50 to have a booster jab when offered one. “We’ve made phenomenal progress but our job isn’t finished yet, and we know that vaccine protection can drop after six months,” he said. “To keep yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you safe, please get your booster when you get the call.”

Slow Booster Rollout
Britain lifted most COVID restrictions thanks to the progress in its vaccine rollout. Initially, it outpaced most countries in vaccinations and set the narrative for Johnson’s Freedom Day. But the country is struggling to repeat those early successes, namely in its efforts to get teens vaccinated and roll out booster shots to elderly and at-risk people. “England’s booster rollout is failing to keep pace with the rollout of first and second vaccine doses,” John Roberts, a consultant at the COVID-19 Actuaries Response group, which tracks vaccination figures, warned in a statement last Monday. “It’s clear that accelerating the booster rollout is vital to reduce the pressure on health services and minimize COVID-related deaths this autumn and winter,” he added.

More than a month after the booster rollout began, fewer than half of fully vaccinated Britons over 80 years old have received their third shot. At the current pace, the 22 million people that make up the country’s higher-risk groups won’t have received boosters until late January, despite initial government promises that the people would have that additional layer of protection by winter.

Spread of the Delta Plus variant
The resurgence of COVID-19 cases comes as a new Delta Plus variant – formally known as AY.4.2 — accounts for nearly 8 percent of recently sequenced cases in the U.K. Preliminary evidence suggests that this variant could be up to 15 percent more transmissible than the original Delta strain, which remains by far the most dominant variant in terms of global circulation. Last week, the U.K. government elevated Delta Plus to a “variant under investigation.”

The U.K. prime minister’s spokesman told Sky News that “[AY.4.2] is something we’re keeping a very close eye on,” while adding that there was no evidence that the strain could more easily spread. “There’s no evidence for that, but as you would expect, we’re monitoring it closely and won’t hesitate to take action if necessary,” he added.

Outside of the U.K., there have been few cases of the Delta Plus variant. Still, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted on Sunday that “urgent research” was needed to determine if the new variant was more transmissible and better at evading immune defenses. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in an interview on Sunday that the agency is watching the Delta Plus variant “very carefully.”