San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Record caseload in U.K. as virus variant spreads
The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.K. has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures from Britain’s official statistics agency.
Some 4.9 million people were estimated to have the coronavirus in the week ending March 26, up from 4.3 million recorded in the previous week, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. The latest surge is driven by the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2, which is the dominant variant across the U.K.
Hospitalizations and death rates are again rising, although the number of people dying with COVID-19 is still relatively low compared with earlier this year. Nonetheless, the latest estimates suggest that the steep climb in new infections since late February, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson scrapped all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England, has continued well into March.
The figures came on the same day the government ended free rapid COVID-19 tests for most people in England, under Johnson’s “living with COVID” plan. People who do not have health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus now need to pay for tests to find out if they are infected.
“The government’s ‘living with COVID’ strategy of removing any mitigations, isolation, free testing and a considerable slice of our surveillance amounts to nothing more than ignoring this virus going forwards,” said Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the University of Leeds’ medical school.
“Such unchecked prevalence endangers the protection afforded by our vaccines,” he said. “Our vaccines are excellent, but they are not silver bullets and ought not to be left to bear the brunt of COVID in isolation.”
James Naismith, a biology professor at the University of Oxford, said he believed that except for those who are completely shielded or not susceptible to the virus, most people in the country would likely be infected with the BA.2 variant by the summer.
Workers wearing protective smocks dispose of trash from a coronavirus isolation hotel in Hong Kong. The city has asked all of its 7.4 million residents to voluntarily test themselves this week.
disruptions has the government caught between calls for loosening restrictions and Beijing’s demand for an extreme “zero-COVID” approach mandating lockdowns and mass testing.
Hong Kong reported another 5,820 cases Friday as the latest surge begins to taper off.
land border, one of the busiest in the world, was partially reopened Nov. 29 but it was limited to only about 1,500 people one-way daily with strict rules. More than 350,000 people crossed the causeway daily before it was shut, mostly Malaysians working in Singapore.
With most of its population vaccinated, Malaysia has lifted remaining coronavirus restrictions on businesses as it moves to restore pre-pandemic life and revive its economy.
as early as April 18.
They were adopted when the parks reopened from COVID-19 closures last year, forcing characters including “Frozen’s” Elsa and Anna to wave to guests from behind ropedoff areas or elevated stages.
At Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Chewbacca and the Storm Troopers greet visitors from platforms several feet away.
“Recent trends and guidance have provided opportunities for us to bring back some of our most beloved magic, like character greetings and dining experiences,” the company tweeted. “While not all locations will be available immediately, we anticipate reopening in phases throughout the spring and early summer.”
The pandemic forced unprecedented changes at the world’s most popular theme parks, such as capacity limits, a new reservation system, mask requirements and extra cleaning on attractions and eating locations.