UK Tier-4 lockdown will stay 'for months' until widespread vaccine rollout: Hancock

UK’s health secretary Matt Hancock on December 19 said that the new Tier 4 restrictions for across London and parts of England will stay for a couple of months, calling the new coronavirus variant ‘Sobering’. In an online statement, Hancock said that in order to protect the NHS from overburdening, and saving lives, the guidelines in place must be adhered to with full caution until the widespread rollout of the vaccines. 

UK’s health minister said in an address to the House of Commons that the new strain of coronavirus was referred to the WHO after it was detected in at least 60 local authority areas. “It’s increasing rapidly,” he said, adding that this new variant of interest was “growing faster than the existing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variant.” While the new variant is highly contagious it is not necessarily more fatal and vaccines could still work, Hancock said in his address. 

“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England,” the health secretary said in a statement released by Downing Street. London, parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, and South Wales have been witnessing “sharp, exponential rises”, Hancock informed, adding that in South of England, though, the caseload was increasing at an extremely rapid rate due to new variant. Until the vaccine was rolled out, it would be “very difficult” to control this infection rate, he said.

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7-day doubling time

In some parts of England, the doubling time of the virus infection was 7 days and the variant infected all age groups including below 60 and school-age children. He added that the hospitals across Essex and Kent were already witnessing the surge in admissions from new strain as the UK Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace was reviewing more information. 

According to Hancock, the WHO has been investigating the virus, and the Public Health England was conducting an analysis of the virus strain at Porton Down. “We’ve got to be vigilant, and follow the rules and everyone needs to take personal responsibility not to spread this virus,” he stressed, indicating the need for the current Tier-4 restrictions announced by the PM Boris Johnson. 

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