United Kingdom’s Vaccine Problem
The health officials in the United Kingdom are at a crossroads, trying to decide which vaccinations to employ to stave off further Covid-19 outbreaks.
Scientists and medical professionals recognise that they may have to choose availability above efficacy when choosing which vaccines to administer. However, when data indicated another sharp increase in cases this week, they are encouraging authorities to take swift action to prepare for an autumn in which Covid-19 infections again spread throughout the UK.
For the week ending June 24th, the number of infected people in the United Kingdom was over two million, an increase of over 30 percent over the previous week.
The Omicron BA4 and BA5 virus strains are predicted to reach their peak activity this summer and persist until the fall. Once the current wave of Covid has passed, the UK Health Security Agency’s senior medical adviser, Dr. Susan Hopkins, has indicated, “Our current planning assumptions are that we will see at least one wave [of Covid] in the autumn-winter period.”
Colder weather will force individuals indoors, raising the chance of infection not only with new Covid strains but also with other respiratory virus diseases, according to Professor Lawrence Young of Warwick University, who told The Guardian, “We need to prepare now for the autumn and winter months.”
Vaccines targeting various Omicron variations are now in development by a number of pharmaceutical firms. Experts, however, warn that even the most efficient of these may not be available in sufficient numbers to counter a fall Covid wave.