Britain officially no longer in a pandemic

Had my second vaccination yesterday but will still be as cautious when out. I will never take anything for granted again after this horrendous last year.

Fair enough, and thanks for replying!

Ellianne

I'll take that news as positive. Even brilliant.
I knew it would come one day. For those who are not scared or full of doom and gloom, for those who are not bereaved, it is time to move on.
In my opinion, vaccination was the turning point.

Absolutely correct.
That’s not to say we should be complacent because this news is about the UK only. There’s a big world beyond the UK and some countries are still in severe difficulties. But it is positive news nonetheless.

lemongrove

Rationality isn’t the word I would have used!
Am guessing that if Labour were in power there would be gushing comments on how wonderful it is that the UK has done so well
If, scientifically speaking the UK is no longer in a pandemic, then that’s the simple truth, we have stepped back from the brink.Wonderful news. The rest of Europe and the US will catch up at a later date, and then at a much slower pace, the rest of the world.

I assume you realise that this is nothing to do with politics and everything to do with science?

pippaz is absolutely right to want to see the interview before making a judgement.

It is this sort of cautious approach that ensures the virus is constantly watched and hopefully kept under control.

My initial reaction was “how wonderful” but then I looked at the data for the U.K. and understood that the virus is still there and complacency is it’s friend.

Be glad that the scientists alongside the compliant population have reduced the R rate but never assume this is a static situation.

Meanwhile time to catch our breath.

Nobody said that the virus isn’t still here, but we have reached the situation happily, that we are not in pandemic status.

lemongrove

Nobody said that the virus isn’t still here, but we have reached the situation happily, that we are not in pandemic status.

But that is the point - we are still in a pandemic.

This is just the sort of media story that people grab without using their brain.

It’s a today position isn’t it? We just have to hope that tomorrow or next week or next month doesn’t bring a large outbreak that can’t be contained, or a mutation which outsmarts the vaccination.

In the meantime we should all enjoy the sun and our freedoms, which are all the sweeter for being denied so much in the past year.

At present the U.K. has greater control of the virus because of various factors, like vaccine, lockdown etc.

Let us hope this continues.

We can do our bit, but so must those with the power to control movement etc in a timely and efficient way.

Whitewavemark2

lemongrove

Nobody said that the virus isn’t still here, but we have reached the situation happily, that we are not in pandemic status.

But that is the point - we are still in a pandemic.

This is just the sort of media story that people grab without using their brain.

The word you need for the UK now is endemic

You can hear her explain the position the UK is in, on Twitter.

Its a pity that the press can't report anything factually and impartially. Maybe its the headline writers. I listened to a bit of her interview. The press didn't lead on her saying "its here to stay and its always going to have the potential to come back."

That's not gloom and doom and the fantastic news is that we have vaccines to control it now. But the Telegraph and the other press outlets reporting this are putting their own spin on it, for their own purposes.

As for the rest of the world catching up with us. I think we're catching up with Israel, aren't we?

Ellianne

I'll take that news as positive. Even brilliant.
I knew it would come one day. For those who are not scared or full of doom and gloom, for those who are not bereaved, it is time to move on.
In my opinion, vaccination was the turning point.

I doubt many are interested in our individual opinions but most are interested in fact. No one has said anything other than that the vaccines would and have made a difference. So well done international science and our NHS.

As for scared, etc., it seems rather arrogant not to allow all their personal opinion. I don't feel any more or less "scared" than I did before although I would add that scared is not an adjective I would ever have related to my personal view of the pandemic. The point is that "pan", in this use, means all. We are still part of it; better off than poorer countries by a country mile but not "out of the pandemic" until we are all out of the pandemic. There is, as yet, only room for small gladness not this over the top and never mind the facts stuff.

I don’t think it needs spelling out that the majority of countries worldwide aren’t in the happy position as we are but for goodness sake let’s rejoice that here in the UK we are now not in a pandemic

nanna8

Hope we’re not included in ‘rest of the world’. So far we have more or less kept it at bay though just one case ( that’s right,just one) has caused a lockdown in West Australia. How different a world we live in.

I'm afraid you are nanna8. Some of our posters like to make up facts, unfortunately. So you are part of the whol but so far you have done well for your population.

However, pan as a prefix means "all", "of everything", or "involving all members" of a group, and Australia is part of the world. Saying "I'm all right Jack" will not make it go away and I wonder where Australia will be if it can't re-open its borders and trade internationally again.

No one is stopping you JenniferEccles. Others would just like the facts and had already realised we had made great progress for ourselves.

Does anyone have the link to the interview, please?

Apparently, according to DT paper this morning, not pandemic, but CV19 has become endemic.
The vaccination programme has been stupendous, so why the caution?

This, maybe?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-56731801

Here you go PippaZ, this is what I found.

twitter.com/GMB/status/1385485433006698497

Interestingly, also found this:

We're out of the pandemic, says expert.

No we're not, says another expert on the same program.

www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/gmbs-dr-amir-khan-urges-23966880

I don't think we're out of the woods until its under control over the whole world.
Just got my appointment for 2nd vaccine and very glad of it. I'll continue to do my small part in keeping the virus under control.

Wonderful news isn't it. Thanks for the thread Esspee. We're not 'out of the woods' yet but this is the best news we've had for more than a year.

I saw her interviewed on TV this morning.
Along with saying that U.K. was now at endemic numbers, she also said that Covid is here to stay and by vaccines, boosters we (the world) will live with it like we do influenza and other viruses.

Good news indeed, hopefully the rest of the world can crack on with vaccination programmes.

Incidentally fake Pfizer vaccines have been found in Poland and Mexico. The Dark Web is selling vaccines for $1,800.

Fake vaccines? My God. Some criminals will stop at nothing. Scum.

Daisymae

So it's a global pandemic, with the exception of the UK? How does that work then?

Well, we’ve got what a lot of people have wanted for a long time. Little Britain. Was it announced on St Goerges Day by any chance? Cynical? Moi?

Great news. I’m having my second jab on Sunday and Mr. B’s is in a few weeks time. We will carry on being careful but feel much more optimistic ?

And ‘endemic’ is pretty rubbish. Not much to celebrate about that imo

Agree Pippa. I thought the term endemic was when an infection was restricted to a specific country and pandemic when it’s worldwide, as with Covid. So what’s changed? We can’t say we’ll never have another wave in the UK. Very cautiously optimistic here.