England faces NEW Covid Strain More Covid restrictions

[QueEx]

England faces possible new Covid restrictions, source says

The Guardian
December 29, 2020

© Provided by The GuardianPhotograph: Andy Rain/EPA

England might see the introduction of further coronavirus restrictions akin to a “tier 5”, a government source has suggested, as experts warn tier 4 might not be enough to shrink the epidemic.


Tier 4 restrictions came into force in London and parts of the south-east and the east of England on 20 December and have since been extended to a large swathe of the country, from Cambridgeshire to Sussex and parts of Hampshire. Under these restrictions, people have been told to stay at home, with household mixing banned outside support bubbles, although one person can meet up with one other person outdoors.

With the incubation period for the virus lasting up to 14 days, experts say the impact of such measures in some areas might be expected to be seen in the coming days – although the picture may be muddied by delays in testing and reporting of results due to the Christmas break.
However, an analysis of the spread of the new, highly transmissible coronavirus variant by experts at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, released earlier this month, warned that even if the whole of England were placed under tier 4 restrictions on Boxing Day until the end of January, the R value would not fall below 1.

Now, it seems, there could be plans afoot to introduce even stricter measures in a bid to keep the virus under control.

According to the Mirror, a Whitehall source has said the tier 4 rules do not appear to be working, adding that the government could introduce “another level onto tier 4, so like a tier 5”.

While no details have been released as to what such a tier could look like, or whether it would even be called “tier 5”, one possibility is that the tighter measures could include closing schools for the majority of pupils and moving education online.

“I can’t see any other option for getting the virus under control,” said Prof Susan Michie, a member of the government’s Covid-19 behavioural science team that feeds into Sage, as well as the Independent Sage group of experts – although she noted that she had not heard any direct evidence such a move is to be made.

The move to close schools has been backed by Dr Nick Davies, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, which also feeds into Sage, and an author of the recent analysis. “If our parameter estimates are correct … it seems like [tier 4] alone isn’t enough, so something else might need to be done on top of that. And we’ve looked at school closures because that’s sort of the next obvious thing to do on top of those restrictions,” he has said.

Schools closed for the majority of pupils during the first lockdown in the spring, while the other restrictions included the edict to only venture outside once a day for exercise, leave home only for essentials, and for all non-essential shops to close and places of worship to shut.

'Tier 5': England faces possible new Covid restrictions, source says

 

[ORIGINAL NATION]

They will continue to receive so called colonial taxes from different African countries

 

[MCP]

Covid: Millions more braced for tougher rules in England

Covid: Millions more braced for tougher rules in England

The health secretary is expected to tell MPs more areas of England will enter tier four as cases surge.

www.bbc.co.uk

There has been an increase in patients requiring intensive care in hospitals across London and south-east England

Millions more people in England are expected to be placed under tougher coronavirus restrictions amid escalating case numbers.
Government sources have indicated an announcement later will see more areas move into tier four - "stay at home".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to detail the changes - which could be introduced within days - in the House of Commons after 14:30 GMT.

The West Midlands and Hartlepool are among the areas that could be affected.

Infection rates in lower tier areas of England have risen rapidly in the last seven days, according to the latest government data.
Parts of the East Midlands, such as Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, as well as all areas of the West Midlands metropolitan county are other areas which could move into tier four.

And it is thought a handful of areas in Lancashire - Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle and Ribble Valley - could be upgraded from tier three.
There may also be further curbs for areas already in the highest tier amid concerns tier four rules are not enough to stop the fast-spreading new virus variant.

On Tuesday, 53,135 new Covid cases were recorded in the UK - the highest single day rise since mass testing began - as well as 414 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
It comes as:

• A "major incident" is declared by NHS and emergency services in Essex due to growing demand on hospitals and social care
• Several government advisers suggest keeping secondary schools closed - or staggering their reopening - will help drive down infections next month
• NHS bosses warn of "narrowing" options for dealing with pressures on the health service amid reports some patients may need to be transferred out of London for treatment
• Ambulances are seen queuing outside hospitals in east London and Birmingham as doctors report wards are "overstretched"

Around 40% of people in England, including London, parts of the East of England and much of the South East, are currently under tier four rules.
It requires non-essential shops, beauty salons and hairdressers to close, and limits people to meeting in a public outdoor place with their household, or one other person.

• Hospital staff asked to cancel holidays
• What are the lockdown and tier four rules?
• New coronavirus variant: What do we know?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly considering how best to reopen England's secondary schools as government advisers said keeping them closed could ease pressure on the NHS.

Infectious diseases expert Prof Neil Ferguson has said that while "nobody wants to keep schools shut" it may be the only alternative "to having exponentially growing numbers of hospitalisations" - which are now at record levels in England and Wales.

He said that because the new virus variant, initially discovered in Kent, appears to be much more transmissible, it is possible closing schools may not be enough to stop the spread.

Another adviser, Prof Andrew Hayward, said a staggered return to classrooms may be appropriate if schools reopen and that "we're going to have to have increased, strict restrictions in other areas of society to pay for that".

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to confirm the government's plan for schools and colleges, with just two working days before the new term begins for many on Monday.

Mr Johnson will chair a meeting later to decide whether delaying the reopening of England's secondary schools until 18 January would bring infection rates down, the Daily Telegraph reported.

His official spokesman earlier said the government was "still planning for a staggered opening" of secondary schools after Christmas but "we obviously keep all measures under constant review".

Preliminary research by Public Health England has found no evidence the new variant is more able to infect children than other variants, BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said.

Meanwhile, some hospitals in London have begun exploring the transfer of critically ill patients to NHS trusts outside the capital as wards reach capacity, the Health Service Journal reported.

Figures from NHS England showed there were 21,787 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 08:00 on Tuesday, compared with 20,426 on Monday, and 18,974 at the first wave peak on April 12.

Five of the seven NHS regions in England are currently reporting a record number of Covid-19 hospital patients: Eastern England, London, the Midlands, south-east England and south-west England.

The other two regions, north-east and north-west England, remain below peak levels that were set in mid-November.

In Essex, local leaders said the number of patients being treated with coronavirus was "likely to increase further in the coming days" as the county declared a major incident, enabling it to access central government support.

 

[QueEx]

They will continue to receive so called colonial taxes from different African countries

​

The post was about a “New Strain” of the virus. And today:​

CORONAVIRUS UPDATED ON DEC. 29, 2020

New U.K. COVID Strain Discovered in the United States: What We Know
By Matt Stieb

An empty St. Pancras train station in London on December 20.Photo: Getty Images

We’re committed to keeping our readers informed.

Following the December 19 announcement that a new strain of the coronavirus was spreading in the United Kingdom, dozens of countries restricted travel from the island nation, as it shut down to stop the latest surge driven in part by the variant known as “VUI — cxn="https:/01.”

“This virus spreads more easily,” the U.K.’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said on December 19. “And therefore more measures are needed to keep it under control.”


Though the virus strain is not expected to be resistant to the vaccines rolled out earlier this month, scientists are racing to learn more about the mutation — and where it has already spread. Below is a primer for the public-health and political ramifications of the concerning development.


The U.K. strain has been detected in Colorado
On December 28, public-health officials in Colorado confirmed that the first case of the more transmissible strain had been found in the state. The infected person is a man in his 20s who does not have a recent travel history. While public-health officials are working to find other potential cases through contact tracing, the fact that the patient has not been to the U.K. suggests that the mutation is spreading within the state. “We can expect that it will be detected elsewhere,” one official familiar with the contact-tracing investigation told the Washington Post.

Previously, the Centers for Disease Control has warned that the U.K. variant may already be spreading within the United States, because there is still ongoing travel between the nations and because scientists have not sequenced the genetic coding of the vast majority of cases.


How is this COVID strain different?
The variation found in the U.K., known as “VUI – 202012/01” was first identified there in mid-September, according to the World Health Organization. Its mutations have occurred on the genetic material that controls the spike protein, which allows COVID and other similar viruses to penetrate host cells, causing infection.

 

[ORIGINAL NATION]

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The post was about a “New Strain” of the virus. And today:​

CORONAVIRUS UPDATED ON DEC. 29, 2020

New U.K. COVID Strain Discovered in the United States: What We Know
By Matt Stieb

An empty St. Pancras train station in London on December 20.Photo: Getty Images

We’re committed to keeping our readers informed.

Following the December 19 announcement that a new strain of the coronavirus was spreading in the United Kingdom, dozens of countries restricted travel from the island nation, as it shut down to stop the latest surge driven in part by the variant known as “VUI — cxn="https:/01.”

“This virus spreads more easily,” the U.K.’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said on December 19. “And therefore more measures are needed to keep it under control.”


Though the virus strain is not expected to be resistant to the vaccines rolled out earlier this month, scientists are racing to learn more about the mutation — and where it has already spread. Below is a primer for the public-health and political ramifications of the concerning development.


The U.K. strain has been detected in Colorado
On December 28, public-health officials in Colorado confirmed that the first case of the more transmissible strain had been found in the state. The infected person is a man in his 20s who does not have a recent travel history. While public-health officials are working to find other potential cases through contact tracing, the fact that the patient has not been to the U.K. suggests that the mutation is spreading within the state. “We can expect that it will be detected elsewhere,” one official familiar with the contact-tracing investigation told the Washington Post.

Previously, the Centers for Disease Control has warned that the U.K. variant may already be spreading within the United States, because there is still ongoing travel between the nations and because scientists have not sequenced the genetic coding of the vast majority of cases.


How is this COVID strain different?
The variation found in the U.K., known as “VUI – 202012/01” was first identified there in mid-September, according to the World Health Organization. Its mutations have occurred on the genetic material that controls the spike protein, which allows COVID and other similar viruses to penetrate host cells, causing infection.

The old strain and the new strain where you think it came from? And where has the money and power been going the whole while? Did both strains just starrt coming out of the ass of everything?

 

[MCP]

What does this story have to do with taxes?

 

[easy_b]

You know what people can’t stay still so that’s why they have to do this so I don’t want to hear no complaining from some of these people.

 

[QueEx]

New COVID-19 virus strain in Florida: What you need to know

Mahsa Saeidi
17 hours ago
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida now
January 1, 2021


TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida now has the highly contagious coronavirus variant first found in the U.K.

The confirmed case out of Martin County came just hours after the state broke a record with more than 17,000 new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day.

8 On Your Side is digging into how this development will impact the pandemic, the vaccine, and your family.

 

[QueEx]

More contagious COVID-19 strain
identified in 3 states (Colorado,
California & Florida); and 33 countries:

What to know

Grace Hauck
USA TODAY
January 2, 2021

A more contagious COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom continues to crop up across the U.S. and around the globe, threatening to further strain overburdened health care systems just as vaccines are rolling out worldwide.

At least three U.S. states and 33 countries have identified the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. Several nations have also identified an additional variant, first identified in South Africa, that also appears to infect people more easily.

"Because the variants spread more rapidly, they could lead to more cases and put even more strain on our heavily burdened health care systems," said Dr. Henry Walke, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 response.

"We need to be even more vigilant in our prevention measures to slow the spread of COVID-19."


-- Here's what we know about B.1.1.7. --

How much more contagious is the new strain?​

The strain first identified in the U.K. spreads more easily and quickly than other strains, according to the CDC. The strain was first spotted in September in southeastern England and accounted for a quarter of cases in London by November. By the week of Dec. 9, it was responsible for 60% of cases in the city.​

​

What makes the new strain of COVID-19 more contagious?​

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, mutates regularly and acquires about one new mutation in its genome every two weeks, according to the CDC. The U.K. variant has several mutations that affect the "spike protein" on the virus surface that attaches to human cells.​

​

"It’s able to bind to the receptors on cells better, and therefore is transmitted better," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said last week.​

Is the new COVID-19 strain more lethal?​

There is no evidence that B.1.1.7 causes more severe illness or increased risk of death, according to the CDC.​

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Is the vaccine effective for the new variant?​

Researchers believe current COVID-19 vaccines will likely protect against B.1.1.7, but data is needed. The virus would "likely need to accumulate multiple mutations in the spike protein to evade immunity induced by vaccines or by natural infection," according to the CDC.​

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"From what we know from experience with this mutation and other mutations, it's unlikely to have a large impact on vaccine-induced immunity, or existing immunity from previous strains," said Dr. Greg Armstrong, director of the CDC's Office of Advanced Molecular Detection. Armstrong said it is unclear how the variant may respond to COVID-19 treatments, such as monoclonal antibody treatments.​

​

How long has the variant been in the US?​

Researches first identified the B.1.1.7 variant in the U.S. in Colorado on Dec. 28 in a COVID-19 patient with no reported travel history, suggesting that the virus was spreading from person to person in the community. It's unclear how widespread the variant has become, experts say.​

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The U.S. has only sequenced viruses from about 51,000 U.S. cases, according to the CDC. The nation now has more than 20 million confirmed cases. "Given the small fraction of U.S. infections that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States without having been detected," the CDC said last month.​

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The CDC said it plans to launch a national strain surveillance program this month that requires each state to submit at least 10 samples biweekly for sequencing.​

​

Where has the new strain been detected?​

The B.1.1.7 strain has been identified in California, Colorado and Florida, and public health experts expect it to be identified in more states in the coming days.​

​

• Colorado identified the first known case of the variant in the U.S. on Dec. 28 and was investigating a second possible case – both in National Guard soldiers who were deployed to support staffing at a nursing home in Simla, outside Denver, state health officials said;
• California identified the second confirmed U.S. case on Dec. 30 in a 30-year-old San Diego County man with no travel history;
• Florida reported its first case Dec. 31 in a Martin County man in his 20s with no travel history.

​

The strain has been detected in at least 33 countries, including: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.​

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** South Africa has also identified a strain similar to B.1.1.7, but it emerged in October independently of B.1.1.7 and is not related to it, according to the CDC. Like B.1.1.7, the South Africa variant (B.1.351) appears to spread more easily and quickly but is not more severe. U.S. health officials said last week they did not know if the South Africa strain was also circulating in the U.S.​

A third variant also emerged this fall and has been detected in Nigeria, but there is no evidence that it is more severe or more transmissible, according to the CDC.​

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New COVID strain: What to know about B117 variant in Florida, Colorado (usatoday.com)

 

[MCP]

Covid-19: Hancock warns flexing of rules 'could be fatal'

Covid-19: Hancock warns flexing of rules 'could be fatal'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the NHS is under "very serious pressure" and warns people to stay home.

www.bbc.com

Flexing the coronavirus lockdown rules could be fatal, the health secretary has warned as hospital admissions soar.

Matt Hancock did not rule out strengthening current restrictions and told the BBC's Andrew Marr the NHS was under "very serious pressure".
It comes after almost 60,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the UK on Saturday and the number of deaths after a positive test passed 80,000.

Scientist Prof Peter Horby warned the UK was in "the eye of the storm".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the rules were tough but "may not be tough enough" and called for the government to hold daily press conferences to avoid "mixed messages".

• What's still allowed during lockdown?
• How will the UK vaccinate millions of people?

Mr Hancock told Andrew Marr "every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal" and said staying at home was the "most important thing we can do collectively as a society".

The health secretary said he did not want to speculate on whether the government would further strengthen restrictions.

"People need to not just follow the letter of the rules but follow the spirit as well and play their part," he said.

His comments came after Home Secretary Priti Patel defended police over enforcing lockdown rules following the case of two women who were fined for going for a walk five miles from their homes - a decision which is now under review.

The government has launched a campaign telling people to act like they have got the virus in a bid to tackle the rise in infections.
Under the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Prof Horby, who is chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said there may be "early signs that something is beginning to bite" in terms of the restrictions - but if they did not then stricter measures would be needed.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I really hope people take this very seriously. It was bad in March, it's much worse now.
"We've seen record numbers across the board, record numbers of cases, record numbers of hospitalisations, record numbers of deaths."
"We are in a situation where everything that was risky in the past is now more risky," he said.

Prof Horby said the early signs were encouraging that the vaccines would be effective against the new Covid variants - first identified in the UK and in South Africa - and he did not want people to "hide under the duvet".
"We can see the end game now," he said.

Analysis, by BBC health correspondent Jim Reed

Higher cases inevitably mean more hospitalisations and more deaths.
The most recent figures show that, on average, 894 people per day are now dying within 28 days of a positive Covid test, up from 438 at the start of December.

The spike in cases since Christmas means that figure is almost certain to get worse before the most recent lockdown measures can start to have any affect.

Scientists think the new variant of the disease is more "transmissible", possibly because each infected individual produces more of the actual virus - sometimes referred to as the viral load.

Vaccination should help to protect the most vulnerable from serious symptoms but we don't yet know if receiving the jab stops an individual contracting the virus and passing it on to others.

Scientists say that may mean even tougher restrictions will be needed to bring the R-number below one and start to reduce the overall size of the pandemic.