Following the discovery of a more contagious mutant novel coronavirus in the UK, the anti-epidemic work in Britain has been put on a more severe test.
According to the data released by the British government on December 28, 41,385 new coronavirus cases were added in the UK that day. This is the highest number of new cases in a single day in the UK since the outbreak of the coronavirus, and some officials call this infection level “unprecedented”.
In addition, Britain has to face the problem of the opening of schools after Christmas. At present, the Ministry of Defense plans to send 1,500 soldiers to provide remote support to secondary schools and universities in the UK.
The number of coronavirus people in the UK has soared.
According to the data of the British government, after 41,385 new coronavirus cases on the 28th, the cumulative number of coronavirus cases in the UK rose to 2,29,730, with a total of 71,109 deaths.
According to the BBC, this data is not only the highest daily number of cases reported by the British government since the outbreak, but also the first time that the number of new cases in a single day exceeds 40,000.
Another important data comes from NHS England. The agency said that the number of people currently receiving treatment for the novel coronavirus in hospitals is 20,426, which is higher than the previous peak of 19,000 in April.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director of the Public Health Service of England, said in a statement that hospitals are currently in the “most vulnerable” period, and the number of new admissions in many areas is on the rise.
“While the infection rate has reached unprecedented levels, there is still hope,” she added.
The BBC said it was a difficult time for hospitals, which need to cancel some non-emergency surgeries in response to the surge in COVID-19 patients.
What’s more unfortunate is that some infected people will get worse in a week. This means that hospitals will be under more pressure in the new year.
The BBC said that the London Ambulance Service (LAS) received 7,918 emergency calls on December 26, which is equivalent to the number of the first peak of the coronavirus epidemic. The rise in demand is due to the “rapt spread of mutant COVID-19,” a filing from the agency said.
In order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the United Kingdom has lifted the originally scheduled five-day “relaxation period” of Christmas epidemic prevention restrictions, and the epidemic prevention and control level in the capital London, parts of southeastern and eastern England has been raised to the highest level 4.
British army assists school nucleic acid testing
In addition to dealing with the surge in infections, the UK has to deal with the opening of many schools after Christmas.
The British Ministry of Defence said that 1,500 soldiers will form local emergency teams to provide remote support to secondary schools and universities in the UK to help them carry out nucleic acid testing on the start of the Christmas holiday on January 4 next year.
The Ministry of Defense said that the 1,500 soldiers would provide advice and support on how to conduct nucleic acid testing and how to build test facilities in schools, mainly in the form of lectures, individual meetings and telephone consultations. However, the team will also be on standby to provide on-site support for some emergencies.
Geoff Barton, Secretary-General of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the government’s military support, but “1500 soldiers Attending the webinar may not be the government response we expect.”
In the face of the epidemic, there is still a debate about the opening plan of schools in the UK. According to the BBC, the current plan for the start of school in the UK varies from region to region. With the exception of Scotland, most students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will resume face-to-face teaching in January.
But Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, one of the largest multi-college trust funds in the UK, believes that schools should be closed “for a week or two” after the Christmas holiday.
“We will ask the government to suspend the start of school and propose a clear strategy for the sustainability of education,” he told the BBC.
