data tells us that the UK, which was the first to implement the so-called " herd immunity ", not only did not have "immunity", but instead suffered a crushing defeat.
Recently, two epidemic-related news in the UK have been on the front page of international news:
One is that in the summer of 2022, the number of deaths from the UK due to the new crown was nearly twice that of the same period last year.
Another is that from August 31 this year, the British government canceled free routine COVID-19 testing for medical staff, which aroused dissatisfaction with medical staff.
The title screenshot of the British Nursing Times article
These two things clearly show the magic of the UK's fight against the epidemic - no matter how serious the epidemic is, the British government is determined to "lie down". The top British medical journal " British Medical Journal ", which is as famous as the Lancet, sarcastically said that the UK is really an "outlier" in the global fight against the epidemic.
Time goes back to two and a half years ago.
In March 2020, when almost all European countries adopted strict isolation measures and the number of confirmed cases in the UK remained high, the British government took the lead in proposing the so-called "herd immunity". The then Prime Minister, Johnson, ordered that the school was not closed, large gatherings, events, and businesses were as usual, and patients with mild symptoms were only required to self-isolate themselves at home for one week.
This scared the British academic community. More than 400 scholars wrote joint letters and Imperial University issued a report to predict the severity of the epidemic... Seeing the number of confirmed cases and deaths soaring, the Johnson government had to brake suddenly and began to implement prevention and control measures.
Immediately afterwards, Prince Charles and Johnson themselves were infected one after another, and the latter even moved into ICU.
It is said that one learns from one's mistakes, but after more than a year, Johnson forgets all the lessons. Faced with the severe epidemic situation, he announced in late February this year that all current COVID-19 restrictions in England would be lifted.
According to the British government's "coexistence with the new crown" plan announced by Johnson, there is no need to isolate the positive COVID-19 tests, and the government will no longer track close contacts. All free COVID-19 tests for ordinary people have been cancelled. Some netizens sarcastically said that other countries pursue zero cases, while the UK pursues “isolation and zero”.
Just like that, the new crown has claimed about 200,000 lives in the UK. The number of confirmed cases per million population in the UK is higher than that in the United States.
The so-called "herd immunity" is nothing more than a big gamble, and the bet is the life of more than 60 million people in the UK.
"Until now, I'll be angry when I see people who don't wear masks on the street. I want to ask them why they are so selfish and why they don't think about their own family. If they all wear masks, my dad wouldn't have passed away."
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On the social platform, many Chinese in the UK share their experience of getting infected with the new coronavirus. A netizen said that last year, their family of three tested positive for the new crown, and she and her mother were both mild symptoms, but their father was transferred to the intensive care unit due to serious conditions a week later and died two days later, which was a fatal blow to the entire family. She hopes that people can pay attention to basic protection.
At the same time, the author used keywords on social platforms to search for the British people's views on the government's "laying flat" fight against the epidemic. The post posted by netizen "Louis" was highly praised:
"Do you know? In the latest guidance on the British government's response to the new crown, people can work or play normally even though they know they are infected with the new crown. Will this not affect others? We have been infected twice and really don't want to be infected again, but epidemic prevention policies make this difficult."
's sentence "I really don't want to be infected again" reveals Louis' disappointment and helplessness. And the only thing he can do is post.
On social media, many people who have been infected with the new coronavirus abroad deny that it is a "large flu". When describing the pain in the throat, they used a similar word - "swallowing the knife". In addition, losing the sense of smell and taste for a period of time is also a commonly mentioned symptom.
But no matter how uncomfortable they feel, the author found that in the UK, most people infected with the new coronavirus are self-isolating and rarely go to the hospital. One of the important reasons for this is that the hospital beds are really tight. Netizen "second grade" said, "The long appointment time for medical treatment in the UK can make people die of death.”
In August this year, a senior British doctor said in an interview with the Times that patients would rather die at home than risk lying on a cart in the hospital corridor waiting for treatment. Matthew Taylor, executive president of the National Health Agency Federation, said, “The emergency room is overcrowded. About one-seventh of the beds are occupied by patients who should be discharged but cannot be discharged. Some patients had to wait more than 40 hours before they could wait for an ambulance. "
The editorial of the British Medical Journal stated that the attempt to "coexist with the new crown" is the last straw that broke the British national health service system.
also suffered a heavy blow.
6-year-old British student Katie never returned to class after she contracted the new crown in 2020. "Until now, I still often feel dizzy and exhausted. I might just sit there and my heart will suddenly jump to 190 times a minute. ”In people’s imagination, since the UK has no testing or isolation, it should be a very high enrollment rate, right? The fact is exactly the opposite.
According to the report of " Guardian " in July, the enrollment rate in the UK has dropped to the lowest level since January. Nearly one-fifth of middle school students have taken leave, and the number of teachers absenteeism is also rising.
The Guardian article title screenshot
British media analysis said that the "lying flat" fight against the epidemic has caused the infection rate to soar, and more and more sick children and teachers who have no fever cannot enter the campus normally.
Kevin Courtney, joint secretary-general of the British National Education Alliance, said that the current wave of COVID-19 epidemic occurred in the summer, with classroom windows open, but the absenteeism rate is still very high. "This is a wake-up call for autumn and winter." .
The UK job market is not optimistic.
According to the latest survey by the UK's National Office for Statistics, about 2 million people in the UK suffer from long-term symptoms of the new crown. Fatigue is the most common symptom, and there are shortness of breath, loss of smell, muscle pain, etc. This makes many of them unable to work properly, and the UK's labor market is tight.
Research by the British Institute of Finance shows that in May this year, the absence rate of employees soared, and some employers had to shut down their business because they could not recruit people. There are many patients with "coronavirus" and it is estimated that the UK's income loss is as high as 1.5 billion pounds a year.
The latest forecast released by the British Chamber of Commerce on September 1 stated that the UK economy will fall into recession by the end of 2022, inflation will soar to 14%, and economic weakness will continue until 2024.
The British Medical Journal commented that this is very ironic. The British government adopted a policy of "coexisting with the new coronavirus" and claimed that it would not interrupt people's lives. However, with all restrictions being lifted, the number of employees in the fields of education, medical care, social care, transportation and business in the UK has increased dramatically, which has led to "huge interruptions" in all aspects of life.
The UK is not in a hurry, but EU has realized the seriousness of the problem.
htmlOn September 2, EU Commission and medical experts urged member governments to strengthen measures to curb the possible peak of new coronavirus infection this winter.EU Commission said that although many restrictions on wearing masks in public places have been lifted, governments are "strongly encouraged" to ensure that people use them in specific occasions such as public transportation. Masks. The surge in COVID-19 cases this summer "remind us very clearly that the epidemic is not over yet."
At present, more than 2,300 people in the EU die from COVID-19 every week. European Medicines Agency vaccine head Cavaleri recently warned at a press conference that virus variants may evade existing immune protection and are more likely to spread or lead to more serious diseases.
This winter is difficult for the whole of Europe. Natural gas price soaring, high inflation and waves of epidemics, each of which has become an unbearable burden for Europeans.
Producer丨Sheng Yuhong
Editor丨Liang Xinwen
Editor丨Zhao Quanmin
Production丨Song Diya
Source: CCTV News Client
