Britain officially no longer in a pandemic

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?

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Fair enough, and thanks for replying!

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.

No nanna you aren’t ? just had to use that expression to save listing all the countries that will take a longer time to recover.

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.

It certainly is good new, lets hope we don't get too complacent or we will be in another lockdown.

A light at the end of the dark tunnel. Politics aside, it is a day to be cautiously happy.

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.

It’s wonderful news to have in print and my hope is that the country becomes just that little bit cautious as we all get the go ahead to mix more and more, so the good is not undone. I heard the news about a concert to take place at 02 arena and all I could think was please do not let things like this ruin all our efforts so far.

pippa a voice of rationality. You are right of course.

I'm afraid I don't accept this even if these paper are sayingit comes from the Professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at Oxford - and it looks very cherry-picked. For instance, she does not appear to say "Britain", Nowhere is that in quoted. If the world is still in a pandemic so are we.

If we were to close our borders to all (as Australia and New Zealand have done) then it would carry some weight but surely saying we are "No longer in a pandemic" is like saying we are no longer part of the world that is?

By various means, we have dampened down the level from Pandemic to Endemic in the UK but while there is still a Pandemic situation anywhere we are still in and affected by a Pandemic. I wonder if this will be seen to be a large bit of very dangerous Tory straw clutching to cover up recent news.

If anyone can find the actual interview I would love to read it. I can't find it anywhere!

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

Good to hear but we are described as having a pandemic when there are only around a dozen cases over here. Guess we all have different definitions . Great that you can ‘live’ again.

yggdrasil

We are in a pandemic that will last at least another couple of years. What happens in the UK is good news, but should not be exaggerated. The Telegraph is not a scientific journal, nor a trustworthy source these days.

It's been printed in the Telegraph, Not made up by The Telegraph.

Sarah Walker, professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at Oxford and chief investigator on the survey, told The Telegraph that Britain had “moved from a pandemic to an endemic situation”.

Her words.