People wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as they get off a train during the morning rush at Waterloo train station in London.
Highlight
- The UK has passed a whopping 150,000 deaths due to Covid since the pandemic began.
- British PM Boris Johnson has expressed concern, describing the new record as a ‘terrible toll’.
- In the UK, home isolation has been made mandatory since symptoms began to appear.
An alarm has been sounded in the UK amid rising Covid cases, with the country passing a massive 150,000 deaths due to infections since the start of the pandemic. PM Boris Johnson has expressed concern, describing the new record as a ‘terrible toll’.
The Omicron variant’s surge continues with 146,390 more daily infections and 313 deaths on Saturday. Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic has “taken a terrible toll on our country” as he renewed his appeal for people to get vaccinated and thanked the National Health Service (NHS) for its life-saving efforts. “Each of them is a profound loss to family, friends and communities and my thoughts and condolences are with them,” Johnson said.
“Our way out of this pandemic is for everyone to get their booster or their first or second dose if they haven’t yet. I want to thank everyone in the NHS and all the volunteers who are working on our country’s vaccine have come forward to help in the programme,” he said.
Home isolation is on the rise
In the UK, home isolation has been made mandatory since the onset of symptoms, unlike the US where home isolation has been shortened to 5 days and begins only if a person tests positive.
According to the BBC, the UK’s Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) had said it could extend further if this period is cut to seven to five days, but as the government self-isolates staff absenteeism”. will review the measure”. There is heavy pressure on frontline services.
However, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said such a move would be a “completely wrong” approach to tackling the coronavirus. “Very hard to imagine that trying to live ‘with Covid’ would be less helpful,” she tweeted.
People advised to get tested twice
COVID tests are currently available through the NHS as people are advised to get tested at least twice a week and before attending large gatherings, to try and prevent asymptomatic transmission. It is also used by workers to be able to return to work after testing negative on Day 6 and Day 7 of their self-isolation period.
(with PTI inputs)
Read also: New COVID variant ‘Deltakron’ revealed in Cyprus; Experts say ‘nothing to worry’
,