Coronavirus experts have warned the lockdown could return due to new variants of Covid, saying the UK could find itself in “the same situation we were in a year ago”.
Scientists have said that all future variants of Covid-19 could bypass the immunity accumulated by people being doubled as the vaccine rollout continues to grow.
Experts are calling on the government to release any response plans if new variants of the virus begin to overcome the protection offered by vaccines.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) previously said the arrival of a new vaccine-escaping variant was a “realistic possibility,” reports The Guardian.
Professor Graham Medley, a member of Sage, said: “A new variant capable of overcoming immunity significantly would be essentially a new virus.
“The advantage would be that we know we can generate vaccines against this virus – and relatively quickly. The downside is that we would be back to the same situation we were a year ago. ”
Dr Marc Baguelin, a member of the government SPI-M modeling group, said: “We would most likely be able to update current vaccines to include the emerging strain.
“But that would take months and mean we may have to reimpose restrictions if there was a significant risk to public health.”
Changes to self-isolation rules
The warning comes as changes to self-isolation guidelines were introduced in England amid the coronavirus pandemic.
People fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to isolate themselves if they come into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.
As of Monday, people in England who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine, or who are under the age of 18, will not have to spend 10 days in quarantine if they are in contact with a case positive, a change that has been hailed as “another step backwards towards normality”.
They will be advised to take a PCR test, but it will not be mandatory and they will not have to self-isolate while awaiting the result.
The change came into effect in Wales on August 7 when instead of requiring fully vaccinated adults to self-isolate, contact tracers and counselors began providing people with advice and guidance on how to protect yourself and stay safe.
In Scotland it is also already true that doubly vaccinated adults and all children can avoid self-isolation as close contact as long as they are asymptomatic and provide a negative PCR test.
Health and Social Affairs Secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘The British public have played a vital role in following the rules of self-isolation throughout the pandemic and sacrificing so much to help bring the virus under control .
“The requirement for double-needled people and those under 18 who are contacts of people with Covid-19 has been removed as we cautiously take another step back to normalcy, thanks to the phenomenal success of our vaccine deployment.
“Vaccines are what will end this pandemic, with more than 84,000 lives saved and 23 million infections averted.
“Please show up to receive your jab as soon as you can to protect yourself and the people around you. ”
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-16 09:15:36
