When Will We Get There?

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is still collecting swabs from randomly-selected households in England. Their most recent data, suggests the country's Covid19 infection rate is again rising (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/17/uk-covid-infection-rate-rising-with-more-than-a-million-cases-in-england). The ONS data estimates that England currently has more than one million Covid19 infections. Many of these infections, probably involve Omicron sub-variants BA4 and BA5. The data has been taken as evidence by experts that the pandemic is certainly not 'over'. In deed, Devi Sridhar (University of Edinburgh) convincingly argues that the UK is currently seeing a spike in Covid19 infections every 3 months. Sridhar opines that, with sensible behaviour, the pandemic can be eliminated. She advocates concentrating on mask-wearing, improving ventilation and getting vaccine boosters to everyone (not just the over 75s). Unfortunately, sensible behaviour doesn't appear to be the the order of the day in England. Many politicians have decreed that the Covid19 pandemic is already 'history'. Most of the country also appears to be 'demob happy'? 'Back to the office, with all of you'!