A year later, frustrations and protests increase

LONDON – When the first closure of the coronavirus was introduced in the UK exactly a year ago, most would have struggled to imagine that there would be another twelve months of restrictions on public and private life.

With the fact that this is now a reality, there are growing signs that the British public is getting frustrated with the restrictions, with protests against the closure of the capital over the weekend.

Although the UK has drawn up a roadmap for lifting restrictions, with the government relieving most Covid curbs by 21 June, there have been smoke signals over the past few days that the government does not expect normal life to return even then does not resume. .

Government ministers, and health experts advising them, have made a number of remarks suggesting that summer holidays are now “highly unlikely”, given the situation in other parts of Europe where cases of coronavirus are on the rise due to new variants of the virus .

Another health expert – the head of the vaccination at Public Health England – suggested on Sunday that masks and social distancing measures would be needed for several years.

The government has also indicated that it wants to extend its authority to reverse any easing of measures and, thanks to the support of the opposition party, it is expected to receive approval to extend emergency services until October, despite a group of lawmakers within the ruling Conservative party. which describes the move as ‘authoritarian’.

Combining these factors and a summer of freedom for the British public is starting to seem more unlikely, which could possibly set the scene for more dissatisfaction in the public as Britons become desperate to return to ‘normality’. Especially if vaccination of vaccines just continues; On Saturday, a combined record of 844,285 first and second doses was given to those who were in the womb, compared to 711,157 people who received a vaccine dose on Friday.

March 23 is the first anniversary of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement to the British public that the country would fall into a trap, with the government introducing unprecedented measures in peacetime to spread the coronavirus for the first time in the then originated, to stop. largely unheard of Chinese city, Wuhan, in December 2019.

When Johnson made the first ‘stay at home’ announcement, one that citizens have now become accustomed to, the UK reported a daily increase in the number of deaths from the virus, with 335 deaths during 24 hours in hospitals. and healthcare professionals struggling to understand Covid-19 and effective treatments.

A year fast ahead and the UK has the disgraceful position of recording the fifth highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, after the US, Brazil, India and Russia, according to a version by Johns Hopkins University. To date, the UK has reported more than 4.3 million infections and more than 126,000 deaths – the fifth highest number of deaths worldwide after the US, Brazil, Mexico and India.

A minute’s silence will be held in the UK on Tuesday to reflect on the deaths caused by the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement that “for the past twelve months we have all taken a huge toll, and I express my sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones.” He added that the country has ‘shown great spirit through our country’ over the past year.

The reasons for the higher death toll in the UK, compared to the continental counterparts on mainland Europe, are versatile, but underlying factors include a higher percentage of obesity, pre-existing health conditions and socio-economic factors.

The government, in turn, came under intense criticism for closing too late, failing to carry out border controls and checks on incoming travelers to the UK, not adequately protecting health workers and putting in place an inadequate testing and detection system. . still considered sub-par. In short, they are accused of not being prepared for a pandemic, and of having mismanaged one when it turned up.

One bright spot and a saving grace was the highly regarded scientific community of the United Kingdom, which was at the forefront of investigating the virus, examining its effects and trials in the best way to combat it. In June 2020, for example, British health experts led by the University of Oxford discovered that an inexpensive steroid treatment, Dexamethasone, could significantly reduce the risk of death if given to the critically ill Covid patients.

An even bigger breakthrough came when the University of Oxford and the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca successfully developed and tested one of a handful of effective vaccines, making the shot even more remarkable, as it can take years to develop vaccines. . UK vaccine research has also been bolstered by government funding.

The UK was the first country in the world to approve and deploy the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in early December, and quickly launched a national vaccination program that fits.

In January, the AstraZeneca vaccine was added to the arsenal and the vaccination program went from strength to strength, surprising even the most cynical Britons and applauding the country’s pagans and national health service for the bold decision-making and well-managed deployment.

Unlike other countries in Europe, which mistakenly questioned the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine at age 65, the UK continued with mass vaccinations involving the elderly and health workers.

Health experts also believed (criticized at the time, but now repeated in other countries) that the gap between the first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines should be extended to 12 weeks to provide more initial protection to more people. .

The decision was confirmed by later clinical data showing that the strategy was effective and even increased the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The deployment exceeded expectations; As of March 20, more than 27.6 million British adults had received a first dose of vaccine, and more than 2.2 million had their second shot, according to government data.

There is tangible unrest among the public – especially those who are primarily opposed to lockdown – as well as the business community to reopen society. Anti-lockdown protests in London this past weekend drew thousands of protesters shouting “Freedom!” as they marched through the capital. Later, quarrels between the police and protesters led to more than 30 arrests.

So, when it comes to the vaccine, it has been ‘so far, so good’. The UK has seen the benefit with the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths gradually declining.

The rate of development is considered critical, at a time when new variants of the virus have emerged and threaten to potentially undermine the positive effects of the vaccines.

The continent of Europe sees the consequences of its perhaps understandably slower implementation, given the fact that the EU has chosen to order vaccines as a bloc and, later, as the United Kingdom and the United States.

In addition to slower supply and production issues, the EU has struggled with vaccine reluctance, which is not common in the UK, and bureaucracy, and this is a major factor in Britain where the health care service is largely a and well-connected central system.

But this week, the UK faces a potential challenge as EU leaders, who are meeting virtually on Thursday, decide to block the export of Covid vaccines made in the block to countries such as the UK, which further submit in their vaccination programs.

Johnson apparently tried to ward off such a move and spoke to his counterparts in France and Germany over the weekend. But if the EU continues, the UK could face further supply constraints; he already expects a shortage of inventory due to a reported delay in exports from an Indian manufacturing facility.

Delay could cost Britain its hitherto successful implementation, and citizens their freedom, although the government has so far said it still plans to offer a first dose of vaccine to all adults by 31 July.