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The UK reported 41,385 new COVID cases on Monday, the highest number since testing became widely available in mid-2020, and hospitals have more COVID patients than during the first wave of the pandemic in April.
“We are entering a very dangerous new phase of the pandemic and will need early decisive national action to
prevent a catastrophe in January and February, “Andrew Hayward, professor of epidemiology at the University of London, told the BBC.
“We are really facing a situation in which we are close to the closure,” said the specialist, according to Agerpres.
More than 71,000 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.
The UK introduced a new level of restrictions on December 19, non-essential shops were closed and in-person gatherings were banned due to a new strain of COVID that spreads more easily. The British even ended up buying their food on the “card”
The situation became critical after the new coronavirus mutation was detected in the UK.
The new strain of coronavirus discovered in the United Kingdom has been present in Germany since November. German doctors detected it in an elderly patient who later passed away.
The contaminated patient at the end of November, very old and with pre-existing pathologies, died in the meantime, it is also said in the statement that it does not specify the cause of death. The man’s wife, who contracted the same strain of coronavirus, recovered. His daughter had traveled to the UK in mid-November and was likely to become infected there, authorities said.
The new strain of coronavirus, which has spread rapidly in the UK, is believed to be more infectious than other variants currently circulating. Analysis suggests that the symptoms are not more severe.
The German state said last week that local authorities had also detected the new strain in an infected person who flew to Frankfurt from the UK on December 20. The person wanted to visit relatives and gave positive results upon arrival. She was picked up from the airport by car by members of her family and since then she has been isolated at her residence.
British authorities warned last week that this mutation is more contagious. Following the emergence of this new strain in the UK, most European states closed their borders with the country last week. Since then, the mutation has been detected in several countries, including Portugal, France, Jordan, and South Korea, Agerpres reports.
