Some Numbers Can Be Jarring

 


By now we should be old hands at dealing with Covid.  We've lived through the ebb and flow of what, four waves now, maybe five?  We play the odds. It looks like we're over the worst, we relax our guard and, bang, it's back albeit perhaps in a new form, a new variant.

We've seen worse, far worse. Our parents and grandparents saw death on a far grander scale than anything caused as yet by this coronavirus. 

That said, numbers can be jarring. Here's one. 78,610. That's how many new Covid cases the UK logged, the highest daily tally since early January. Hospital wards are again backing up. The NHS soldiers on but it's looking the worse for wear.

In the UK the government claims it is dealing with two epidemics, the Omicron variant atop the Delta variant.  Of course, BoJo is under a lot of heat at the moment so he may find respite in mincing words.

Britain's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, says there's worse to come. Yet there's little appetite at No. 10 for a resumption of lockdown, not this close to Christmas.

Whitty said it seemed “very sensible” for people to prioritise “social interactions that really matter to them” in the run-up to Christmas. He also “strongly encouraged” people to take extra precautions and meet vulnerable people outdoors, if possible.

Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, said she would be “really careful” in the run-up to Christmas Day “so I can get those special moments with my family”. She added: ”I know that’s what everyone will choose to do if they can.”

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