The current situation regarding the mutation of Covid-19 into a more transmittable virus has gripped the nation once again as numbers begin to rise, and ministers group together in order to find a way to limit the effect of the new strain on the public health.
Just this week, Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon announced new measures which will affect Scotland from Boxing Day with Boris Johnson deciding not to follow suit, yet there are still swirling rumours that England will soon face Plan B that could see the return of many rules and regulations that affected the nation for over a year.
These restrictions came into force due to the face that Covid-19 was causing such high death rates and strain on the National Health Service that something had to be done to avoid a systematic collapse, however considering that the Omicron strain is considered to be less dangerous yet more contagious, are restrictions necessary as we face a new battle with the virus.
The originator of the new strain, South Africa, is reporting that despite the new threat that they are still managing to operate their health systems effectively, with other medical services still being provided due to the availability of the staff to do so.
Recent figures in in the UK over the past couple of days have also signalled that while there is a heavy rise in the increase of transmission, that this is not actually being matched by the expected hospitalisations that were seen in earlier strains.
This could also be a result of the high level of the population who are now double or at least single vaccinated.
There any movement into a form of lockdown may be much more related to an early response to avoid the national damage of the last pandemic, to try and cut down on the effect and keep the nation afloat which would actually be a smart move if it were to save future months of lockdowns.
On this front there may be a need for some kind of restrictions, especially with the ever-growing infection rate, yet lockdown protocols may also be too much restriction on a still recovering economy and a growingly frustrated public.
With the continued threat of Omicron, action will be needed, but the restrictions should reflect the actual effect that the virus is having on the population, and therefore a lower level of rules compared to the previous pandemic.
Photo Credit: Erik McLean
