There is no need to worry about a summer Covid wave fuelled by a “Delta plus” variant, scientists have said. The Telegraph has more.
Coronavirus cases and hospital admissions are increasing in the U.K. but deaths remain low and experts believe the summer will pass without too many problems.
Omicron has been the dominant variant in the UK since it emerged at the end of last year but the original form has been supplanted by sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5.
There had been worries that a new strain of the Delta variant – called Delta plus – which is more deadly but less transmissible than Omicron, may be gaining traction in the U.K., but experts have allayed those concerns.
Prof Azeem Majeed, chairman of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, told the Telegraph: “For now, variants such as BA.4 and BA.5 are a bigger problem than Delta plus.
“The nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus means that mutations will be common. Fortunately, we now have good systems for identifying and tracking new variants globally.
“The number of reported cases of the Delta plus variant are small in comparison to the Omicron sub-variants that are currently circulating.”
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told the Telegraph: “It remains difficult to predict exactly what will happen over the summer in the U.K. – we have good levels of immunity across the population, and summer means more outdoor time and less indoor social contact which should both reduce transmission.”
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: A rock musician’s fiancé will become the first woman in Britain to be awarded a £120,000 Covid vaccine damage payment after her boyfriend died of a haemorrhage and “complications of a Covid vaccine”. MailOnline has more.
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Pet hate – the use of the word envision when strictly envisage is more appropriate.
Yes, envision is all about imagination…in other words, something plucked from the air without real research.
Even worse is ‘reimagining’ and don’t get me started on all the idiots who want to ‘reach out’ and those who use ‘can I get’ instead of the correct ‘please may I have’.
The days of teaching correct grammar are
long gone sadly. It wasn’t too long ago I read that a university in the north east wasn’t too concerned about it in student applications. Apparently, correct grammar was ‘elitist’.
Not just applications but the actual coursework too. Go into any uni and notice-boards are crammed with interpreter services – which translates as people being paid to write coursework for students from overseas. If they don’t have the English skills these students should not be accessing courses delivered in English and provided by British unis.
Correct grammar allows the precise expression of complex ideas. Lack of verbal clarity impedes communication and allows muddy thinking.
Universities really should care, but it’s clear they’re all corrupted by nonsense.
Would you want a surgeon to use a spoon instead of a scalpel?
Pet hate 2 – spending money on topics like this when farmers are being pilloried over the cost of just one of these ridiculous projects. These are keeping frankly useless academics employed when blaming the farmers for NHS funding shortages.
Excellent summary of the ‘youth’ (our current uniparty governments) mispending our hard earned taxes on rubbish. Many of these fundings seem to have been going on for years. WTF or should that be WEF?
Self-perpetuating PhDs on the back of much of this ‘research’. Oh, but if you cancel this funding my PhD student won’t be able to continue with his/her/its work. Laughable, if it wasn’t for our money being wasted on these projects.
Self-generated madness.
An abuse of the word ‘doctor’.
The tinkling and sounding of cymbals (and symbols) signifying nothing.
Usual story – hold accountable Education, Education, Education.
Talking about education – recent news about Ofsted:
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/sir-hamid-patel-appointed-interim-ofsted-chair/
He will serve as interim chair of the Ofsted board for up to five months, until a new chair is appointed.
Woman of indigenous ethnicity replaced by turbaned Knight of the Realm. Watch this space for the permanent appointment.
Another institution marched in to?
Most probably. Easy transition from interim to permanent.
An actual ‘chair’ would be preferable
Ah, there is always money for these causes.
Just like there is money to put up migrants in hotels but no money for pensioners to heat their homes.
Just like there is always money to wage wars but not to fill in potholes.
Yep. You’re right.
Two Tier Never Here Kier can’t swan around saving Ukraine and Europe if he just fills in potholes and recall that when asked he preferred Fascist Central Davos as opposed to Westminster.
Possibly they reckon the people on welfare will always vote Labour regardless so they can afford to piss them off, whereas the wokesters might go to Illiberal Undemocrats or Fake Greens or whatever.
In the ‘revised’ world of Labour benefits claimants are undeserving. The Browns, Gays, and Trans are deserving.
Strange how Labour have morphed into conservatism, but political parties do this over time.
Excellent research, Charlotte Gill. I’m extremely concerned at the way our nation is undermined by such quangos. And we are forced to fund them via shady grants donated to them by our governments. We can’t afford to do this. There seems to be no sense of restraint or objectivity given to these bodies. I bet if any from the uni-party are reading this clearly written article, rather than react with outrage at the expose, they will bristle and regard critics of these donations as their enemies – to be quashed or discarded. The rot runs very deep. Starmer says he will tackle this but that remains to be seen.
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
A great article – thank you Charlotte.
OT – but is it just me, or does Rachel Reeve have an incredibly unpleasant voice? I can’t listen to her.
Yess sh an absolutely hideous voice talks nothing but bollocks (and sorry) a face made for radio.
She has always been after the disabled. During the time when Miliband was leader she talked about knocking them into shape. The difficulty now is that their number has grown hugely since 2021 and these are serious disabilities. You wouldn’t want such people in the workplace. And many of those who aren’t classed as disabled are just dragging themselves into work and doing a crap job andhoping that they feel better at some indeterminate point in the future.. Any redemptive change starts with acknowledgment of reality. Our society is now a disability based culture. Very difficult to manage on a financial level. The future promises even greater levels of sickness and disability. Withdrawal of benefits will mean in a lot of cases the need for residential care and that costs a lot more.
Fear not, Kim Leadbeater’s euthanasia programme / assisted
murderdying bill is being hatched as we speak. They just need to minimise any legal safeguards before giving it the go ahead. TPTB will be rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of all the benefit monies saved.