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Date Published: 21/10/2021
ARCHIVED - UK considers Plan B as Delta Plus variant surges
This third mutation is now responsible for 6% of all cases in the UK
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is understood to be considering implementing his stringent Plan B protocol as the new Delta plus + variant of coronavirus sweeps across the country, now responsible for 6% of all Covid cases in Britain. The general data in the UK is not comforting, and numbers of infections have become increasingly worrying since the country reduced its restrictions and thousands of tourists flocked to Spain.
Daily coronavirus infections have been skyrocketing in the UK for weeks, with 50,000 positives recorded on Wednesday October 20 alone, hiking the cumulative incidence rate up to 600 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest figure that has been observed in three months, it may be no coincidence that it has occurred at the same time that the new Delta Plus + variant, a derivative of the original, was discovered in the country.
The new variant, scientifically called Delta AY.4.2. is the third mutation of the original and is between 10% and 15% more transmissible than the parent strain, according to scientists. While a Downing Street spokesperson said on Tuesday October 19 that they are monitoring the situation very closely and are ready to take action “if necessary”, hospital figures are really the key indicator that the UK government is keeping an eye on.
On October 16, the country reported 869 hospitalisations in just 24 hours, a figure which experts fear could soon spike to more than 1,000 per day given that the figure hasn’t dipped below 600 since last July.
If hospitalisations and Covid-related fatalities do get out of hand, Boris Johnson’s Plan B will be unleashed upon the UK, and will involve the following measures:
- Re-establishing the mandatory use of masks in enclosed spaces, a measure that has been completely removed
- Encouraging teleworking wherever possible, particularly for politicians
- Introducing a mandatory Covid passport for entertainment venues and mass events, with 500 people indoors and 1,000 outside
While this plan is ready to roll out, the British Health Secretary has assured citizens that it will not happen for the time being, but has asked people to not rule it out altogether if the health crisis worsens.
In the meantime, the population of the UK has been urged to avail themselves of a third dose of the vaccine wherever possible in order to give a boost to their antibodies. Downing Street has insisted that this move “is not only to save lives, but also to maintain freedoms”; freedoms which will be severely affected if Boris Johnson’s Plan B comes into effect.
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