The United Kingdom has been, since the beginning of autumn, one of the countries in Europe with the highest number of COVID-19 infections. There were 50,000 new infections a day. For a few days, however, a constant decrease in infections has been registered . The latest figures speak of about 37,000, although the number of hospitalizations continues to increase, which is around 10,000, as well as the number of deaths, which stands at around 200 daily.
According to data from the National Statistics Office (ONS), there were more than a million people infected during the last week of October , which is equivalent to one citizen in every 50, a figure similar to that of the previous week. The authorities are confident that infections have peaked and the trend to decline will continue.
The main objective of the government is that mass vaccination succeeds in preventing a collapse of public health this winter. Currently 68.2% of the population is vaccinated with the two guidelines. Starting in September, children between 12 and 15 years of age began to be vaccinated with a single dose of Pfizer, although the possibility of a second dose in the future is not ruled out. The ‘booster’ program is also underway , the third booster dose that at least 32 million people over 50 years of age and those with special health problems will receive.
High-risk people, vaccinated or not, will be the first to benefit from the new antiviral treatment in pills. The UK was the first country to approve molnupiravir, the first oral drug to treat COVID-19. The government has purchased 480,000 full treatments of this drug that can potentially reduce hospital admissions and deaths by 50%. The first shipments of the drug are expected this month. Public health must still indicate how it is prepared to carry out the task of distributing the pills, which must be administered at the first symptoms of contagionand in the first five days after a positive test, to enhance its effectiveness. The sanitary experts assure that a correct distribution is a key factor in the success of the operation.
