Thank you, Doll, for this very useful link. Clicking on the graphs displays further graphs to give as much detail as anyone would want.
The alarming thing is the current fast rise in new infections, though it seems that far fewer people are dying from COVID-19 than previously. Even so, it does not seem a good idea to relax restricions when new infections are rocketing. Boris & Co will need to think hard about what to do in the days leading up to July 19; there will be some tough decisions to make. I think the best we should expect are perhaps a few relaxations of some restrictions rather than an overall lifting as was hoped for.
COVID-19 has caused real problems in care homes, and for visitors. We need to do whatever it takes to get new infection right down. Vaccinations have done a great deal towards this, but the current rapid rise in infections needs to be accounted for.
Things look distinctly better than they did a month ago! New infection rates continue to tumble, and new admissions and deaths are levelling off.
Boris must be the luckiest man in Parliament. His carefree, lackadaisical attude to “Freedom Day” went against the odds and the statistics - yet it all seems to be coming right at last.
Let us not be too optimistic. Part of the welcome trend is due to many people being careful in spite of the official relaxation of restrictions. Let us continue to take care for a little longer and keep the trend of infection going decisively further downwards. Also be thankful for the UK’s excellent record in giving vaccinations, which has helped so much to resist this virus.
I have the daily totals emailed to me via “in your area”. I’m on a rural road with houses scattered between fields, so not in town. If I identified with the middle of town, we would be the lowest in the county. Three miles north, it’s hugely higher, there are two enormous season campsites there. The town three miles west is in between. I’ve decided that until the “Grockles” aka holidaymakers, have gone home, I’m staying put, getting groceries from Tesco in the “middle” town and doing lots of sewing, gardening, and tidying up. Plenty of all three to do!!!
Another month has passed by. Two months ago, infection rates were rocketing. One month ago they were tumbling. Now they are somewhere in between, with uncertainty where the figures will go next, but I detect a worrying upward trend. Death rates continue to rise - not good.
Continuing vaccinations should help the figures. The return to school will not help.
Let’s keep those masks in use; avoid foreign travel if practicable; keep two metres apart where possible.
I agree with you Denis.
Unfortunately around here only about 50% of people (maximum) are wearing a mask, take up of the vaccine is lower than the National average and most folk seem to have given up on social distancing.
Worrying.
Melly1
Another month and little change in COVID new infection rates. The graphs go up and down but there is no real trend over the last two months. Lack of leadership from Parliament. My wife and I continue to wear masks in indoor public places. At her suggestion we have resumed sanitizing goods brought into the house. We still need to do our bit. In spite of the NHS doing a spendid job in vaccinating people, we are not driving this virus down as I could have hoped.
I agree Denis
It shouldn’t have been, but never the less was a shock to me when my son in law then daughter caught covid. Very vigilant family, masks, sanitiser, the family apart from the 12 year old all double jabbed. Fortunately they have fought it off hopefully thanks to the vaccines. Think I expected a miracle, that covid would disappear. Miracles don’t happen! Less people are wearing masks now. I shall continue, and take sanitiser if I go out.
Vaccination rates vary a lot across the country. For e.g. 2/3 of over 16’s have had a single dose where I live and under 60% have had both; whereas almost 90% have had their first dose and 85% their second where my sister lives.
Perhaps it’s not so surprising that cases are higher, schools are back and children aren’t social distancing, school communities are not wearing masks and if a child has had contact socially or at home with someone with Covid - they don’t have to self isolate and a PCR is optional … The only defence in school is opening windows and hand washing … Even if you aren’t in school/ don’t have contact with children you are likely to be in contact with adults who have been …
I will continue to wear masks in busy indoor public places, keep up the increased hand washing and carry hand sanitiser, plus take steps to boost my immune system.
Melly1
After another month we seem to have a downturn in new infection rates over the past week. Can we be encouraged by this? It is too early to tell. The graph over the past two months resembles a hedgehog’s back. Where will the graph go next week?
Recently I travelled through central London on the Underground. On the Underground, face masks are compulsory - or so signage seems to suggest. I found that though most people were wearing masks a significant number were not, and there was no obvious attempt to enforce mask wearing. It is the same in shops - most shops still offer sanitisation of hands and trolleys on entry and encourage wearing masks, but many customers are not bothering.
I really feel that the government could be doing more. I recognise that it is in a dilemma, particularly with the hospitality and entertainments industries, over the conflicting need to maintain jobs and productivity. However a tightening up of restrictions such as mask wearing and social interaction could surely help? And politicians should set a better example by being seen to be wearing masks themselves.
My wife and I are doing our bit.
- We wear masks in all indoor public places.
- We sanitise our hands on entry to such places.
- We sanitise goods brought into the house.
- We are having our COVID-19 booster jabs tomorrow.
The New Forest, where I live, had some of the lowest infection rates in the country, but sadly, it’s the worst it’s ever been now, so I’m still avoiding the rest of the human race as much as possible, wearing a mask, and washing my hands a lot. I’ve given up using shop sanitizer, I often pretend to use it, just don’t squeeze any out, as my skin was literally cracking, despite oodles of hand cream being applied. I have hand cream in my sewing room, kitchen, and bedroom. Some of the best I’ve used is some that cost about 69p in Aldi!! Seems to work better than some more than 10 times the price.
My grandson’s school friend tested positive recently, fortunately grandson was OK, he is here 3 days a week.
We have to fight with COVID remember to wash your hands, face, nose and eyes. We have to take precautionary measure in this pandemic condition. If we take precautionary measure we will sure overcome this condition.
So at last the government has decided to increase restrictions in the form of compulsory mask wearing. How are the public accepting this?
Yesterday, Waitrose was giving friendly encouragement to customers to wear masks and sanitise on entering the store - and everybody was as far as I coukld see. Today, in the central shopping mall, things were less good. Most customers, with some exceptions were wearing masks in shops but in the general mall area many were not, despite requests to do so. We tried to maintain 2-metre social distancing, but some others seemed to have lost the habit. Resumed official encouragement could help.
It seems to me that lack of clear direction from the government for many months has resulted in the public taking things less seriously now that precautions have been re-introduced. The new Omicron mutation is not helping matters. It is a bit early yet to tell from the statistics whether the latest precautions are driving down infection rates. There is always a lag between change of precautions and effect.
I’ve just seen this.
Good! I wish more authorities were prepared to take tough action like this. I know shops need to be loyal to their customers - however in the shopping mall today I saw two security guards order two lads to stop riding their bikes in the mall - however no obvious attempt to enforce mask wearing.
Not much evidence of mask wearing where we live, Denis. It would have been better to have kept them than discontinued them and reinstated to them. People are out of the habit of wearing them now.
Melly1
i’m back to wearing a mask although I hate doing so as I have low blood pressure and am prone to fainting.
People are STILL wandering around in shops with dirty masks or handmade ones which are not supposed to be good and I honestly doubt whether they wash them after every outing. Other people don’t wear them properly and have their nose sticking out or constantly pulling it back up again which you are not supposed to do.
I’ve continued to wear them. I can get a bit hot and bothered but wait till outside again.Prefer the disposable ones myself, with the nose bridge. Have noticed people wearing them incorrectly too. Not easy to wear, especially if like me need glasses just to read labels and prices, but not for long distance. They steam up.
I too have the problem of mask falling off my nose and glasses steaming up. If the top edge of the mask is pinched a bit in the middle before it is put on, it helps to keep it on the nose. My optician sold me a special type of anti-fog lens cleaner, which helps to reduce misting rather more than regular lens cleaners.
Thanks for that information Denis, that sounds just what I need. The colder the weather is the more my glasses steam up, the cold weather makes it worse.
Thank you Denis
I do pinch the bar at the top of the mask. Feels more secure than some cheaper ones I bought when masks were hard to get.
Anti fog cleanser sounds good.
Went to Asda yesterday, and noticed more people wearing masks. A box was above the cleansers for anyone who needed. Wonder if they lasted?