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About half of all coronavirus cases in the UK are not being identified, a pandemic expert has warned.
Mark Woodhouse, who is part of a subgroup of the Sage government scientific advisory group, said that “a very high proportion” of infected people are escaping the network “in part because many of them are asymptomatic or so lightly infected that they are not they recognize the symptoms. “
His comments come as Wales ends its 17-day fire lockdown today, with Prime Minister Mark Drakeford urging Boris Johnson to propose a common approach to Christmas for the four British nations.
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Here’s more information on those claims, roughly half of Covid cases go undocumented …
Around half of positive coronavirus cases in the UK are not being identified, according to a pandemic expert.
Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said these cases mean that attempts to control the virus are being done “with one hand behind the back.”
Mr. Woolhouse is part of a subgroup of SAGE and is a member of the Scottish Government Covid-19 advisory group.
He said the massive test plan that started in Liverpool is an attempt to combat the problem.
Starting Friday, anyone in the city can be tested, repeatedly, for the coronavirus, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Seven Days program, Professor Woolhouse said: ‘The problem the pilot test in Liverpool is trying to solve is that we still haven’t found about half of the Covid cases in Scotland or United Kingdom in general.
“That is a very high proportion.”
He added: “It’s probably partly because many of them are asymptomatic or so mildly infected that they don’t recognize the symptoms, partly because people have symptoms but don’t actually recognize them as Covid – I’ve heard some cases of that in the last week, and also the possibility that some people have symptoms and really ignore them, perhaps because they don’t want to isolate themselves.
“Whatever the reason, 50% of lost cases is like trying to control the epidemic with one hand tied behind your back. We cannot do this effectively if those cases are not isolating themselves and their contacts are traced. It will make it much more difficult.
“Liverpool’s idea is to try to find these cases and hopefully … persuade them to isolate themselves.”
Aldi UK to extend the click and collect test to an additional 200 stores
Aldi UK will extend its one-click grocery shopping service trial and charge up to 200 additional stores by Christmas, it announced.
The supermarket chain launched its test from a single store in central England in September before rolling it out to cover 18 stores last month.
Here’s how cases have increased in the UK since May:
In case you missed them yesterday, here are the latest figures from the UK:
Drivers Say Virus Crisis Has Made Car Access More Important, Survey Finds
Access to a car has become more important for most drivers (57 percent) due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey.
The RAC survey of 3,000 motorists indicated that 68 percent think a car is “essential” for carrying items such as shopping, up from 54 percent last year.
This could be due to the rise in click-and-collect services and people doing fewer but bigger grocery stores.
Nearly six in 10 drivers (59 percent) say they need their car to reunite with friends and family who don’t live nearby, up from 45 percent in 2019.
The survey also demonstrates the scale of the challenge of encouraging people to switch from cars to public transportation as the pandemic subsides.
For the first time since 2002, less than half of drivers (43 percent) said they would use their cars less in the future if train and bus services were improved.
The RAC described the 57 percent drop last year as “a seismic shift” reflecting “ongoing safety concerns from the use of potentially crowded public transportation systems.”
Who’s excited for a new safe series from Covid?
Global update: Russia records a record 21,798 new coronavirus cases
Russia has reported a record 21,798 new coronavirus infections, including 6,897 in the capital Moscow, bringing the national count to 1,796,132.
Authorities also reported 256 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 30,793.
Airline passengers face losing ‘hundreds of pounds’ from unused coupons
A group of consumers has expressed concern that airline passengers may lose out if they do not use coupons issued for cancellations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Which? stated that easyJet and British Airways are ignoring guidance from the European Union on what should happen when coupons expire.
Passengers were encouraged to accept coupons in lieu of an immediate cash refund when most flights were suspended after the Covid-19 outbreak.
In May, the European Union recommended that coupons be valid for at least 12 months and that cash payments be issued automatically within 14 days if not used before they expire.
Which? believes that easyJet and British Airways policies do not comply with this guide, which means that passengers “could be left with hundreds of pounds out of pocket”.
Both airlines insisted that customers have the option of choosing a cash payment instead of a coupon when flights are canceled.
An easyJet spokeswoman said it will only issue coupon refunds in “exceptional circumstances that have prevented customers from rebooking.”
He added: “Currently, flights are available to book through September 30, 2021 and we have been advancing our offer dates to offer customers more options to rebook their travel in the future.”
A British Airways spokesperson said: “Our website is clear that filling in the form is to request coupons.
“Our coupons are valid until April 2022.”
He added: “We have processed over 2.5 million cash refunds to date.”
Wales urged to stay away from England
Dr. Frank Atherton, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, said that although the firewall lockdown had ended, people’s behavior had yet to change.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Monday: “By getting out of this firewall, we can’t just go back to the behavior we had before.
“We still have to work differently.”
When asked if people traveling between England and Wales could be detained, Dr Atherton said that with England under national blockade there was no reason to cross the border.
He added: “Right now England is entering their lockdown so there is no reason for people to travel from Wales to England.
“As England comes out of its lockdown, we will have to absolutely rethink how people travel.”
Wales enjoys ‘first signs of stability’ as firewall ends
Wales Medical Director Dr Frank Atherton said there were some “early signs of stability” as the country comes out of its fire lockdown.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today show, he added: “Today we will get out of the firewall fixes.
“We always recognized that there would be a lag in terms of the indicators that we analyzed regarding the success that we have had.
“But we are seeing some early signs of stability and we are seeing it in the mobility data, so we recognize that the people of Wales have been traveling significantly less during the firewall, and we are starting to see that in some of the test rates. . “
