As the number of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom shows a downward trend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce some easing of coronavirus-related restrictions. According to a BBC report, the prime minister will announce the new rules in parliament on Wednesday. The report says the government, led by Johnson, has been working on a “Plan B” for the past ten days. Under Plan B, the administration is expected to allow free movement in areas where coronavirus cases have dropped significantly. As of now, all people are required to wear face masks and present their COVID passes in order to use government services. They expire on January 26th.
However, with the upcoming announcement, the government is expected to expand the limit on indoor parties/gatherings, reopen nightclubs, lift indoor social distancing and table setting requirements at reception areas, lift the limit on the number of families gathering indoors. and the resumption of non-professional indoor contact sports, according to a BBC report. It is worth noting that the highly contagious variant of Omicron is still staggering in the district for the last month. The government took strict measures before Christmas, when the number of coronavirus cases was at its highest in the country. The hospitalization rate was also at its peak.
However, the latest trend shows the country reporting fewer cases compared to last week. The daily COVID rate is down 38.9% from the previous week, according to the UK Department of Health and Human Services. The latest figure also shows a downward trend, with the weekly figure down 2.9% in the seven days to Jan. 14. Over the past 24 hours, 94,432 new cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in the country.
NHS faces severe staffing shortage despite fair vaccination rates
Notably, the National Health Service (NHS) is experiencing a severe shortage of medical staff as the infection is currently infecting healthcare workers. According to a press statement released last week by the National Health Service, the world’s second-largest single-payer health care system, the country has the highest number of COVID-free cases since the introduction of the vaccine began last year. The UK Health Agency said nearly 40,000 people have reported COVID-related symptoms and have not returned to their jobs. More than 35,000 healthcare workers have fallen ill with COVID in just one week, according to data provided by the NHS. The data raised a serious question about the COVID vaccine, with almost 90% of NHS staff vaccinated with both doses and 60% received a booster.
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