Scientists have published a letter in the Lancet, saying that they have 5 main concerns over the governments plans for unmitigated infection.
I have taken this from John Campbell’s site.
First - disproportionately affecting children and young people
There are 17 million people with no covid protection.
Exponential growth will continue until millions more people are infected
This will leave hundreds of thousands of people with long term illness and disability
Risks leaving a generation with ill health.
Second - transmission in schools will lead to educational disruption.
There should be strict mitigation in schools and eventual vaccination of children.
Important for clinically vulnerable children and socially vulnerable children.
Third - emergent of vaccine resistant mutations, with their potential spread.
Fourth - there will significant impact on exhausted clinicians.
There is no break yet between infection and hospital admission.
Rising case numbers will inevitably mean more hospital admissions.
Millions of people are waiting for procedures and many will die waiting.
Fifth
Deprived communities are very exposed.
The deprived and marginalised will be disproportionately affected.
Given that vaccine offers the same protection and herd immunity, the governments strategy is unethical and illogical.
The U.K. government must reconsider its current strategy and take urgent steps to protect people and children.
We believe that the U.K. government is embarking on a dangerous and unethical experiment, and we call on it to pause its planned endings of all mitigation on 19 July.
It's like being left in a room with a lion.
A caged one, versus one roaming free.
The R rate is over 1, and that seemed unfathomable at the start of all this.
Here we are though, 18 months on, and it's still too high.
growstuff obviously you did not read my post these messages are coming across from both main parties
As you appear to respond to the majority of my political posts I would have assumed that by now you would have realised whilst I am a predominately a Conservative, I am not a Mr.Johnson fan.
Maremia
A BBC report today says that the Dutch PM has just apologised to his nation for doing, three weeks ago ,what Johnson proposes for us on the 19th. The Netherlands is now going back under restrictions.
The same in France Maremia. Three weeks ago bars, night clubs, festivals all opened up. Now they are closing again or going under restrictions. Did Boris or the professors mention any review of the UK situation in say 2 or 3 weeks time? There needs to be constant monitoring and re assessment, along with a readiness to do an about turn if necessary.
Ellianne
Maremia
A BBC report today says that the Dutch PM has just apologised to his nation for doing, three weeks ago ,what Johnson proposes for us on the 19th. The Netherlands is now going back under restrictions.
The same in France Maremia. Three weeks ago bars, night clubs, festivals all opened up. Now they are closing again or going under restrictions. Did Boris or the professors mention any review of the UK situation in say 2 or 3 weeks time? There needs to be constant monitoring and re assessment, along with a readiness to do an about turn if necessary.
Yes they did say at the press conference this evening that the situation will be constantly monitored.
There is no longer such thing as normal? Since when has normal meant 100,000 people a day being infected with a novel virus?
I feel extremely sorry for people who work in public transport, leisure and retail, yes we should slowly open up with restrictions, nothing wrong with masks, visors, sense, hygiene measures. We can do both ! Start to resume normality and be careful, it’s not one or the other. Had this government heeded advice in the first instance 18 months ago or longer we might not be where we are today and how dare they take credit for anything vaccine related !!!!
Absolutely….
“songstress60
We need to get the economy back! We have the vaccine so I want my freedom, and medics are concentrating so much on Covid they are neglecting other medical procedures and operations. People are being diagnosed with cancer when it is too late to treat them. I had my cataract op cancelled 3 times. We have the vaccine. Let's get back to normal.“
Much as I empathise with your situation, this isn’t about you & your freedom ! It’s about protecting a huge number of still vulnerable people. Do you personally know anyone who had died or has long Covid ? Sadly I know two people personally who have sadly passed, both younger than I and fit and healthy and many others with long Covid. I’m a public sector front facing worker and live in a large southern England town. Nothing normal about these times and personally I’d wait a month or two longer to give more the chance to be vaccinated
The village we used to live in Dordogne, thé bars aren’t under restrictions Ellianne? Macron did speak tonight stating vaccinations will be obligatory for all health workers and those in similar posts by September. I didn’t read anything in his press conference regarding closures or border changes, but a ‘health passport’ will be required from August for entry to bars, restaurants, clubs etc.
I thought he said health passes were required for bars, restaurants etc. (Admittedly not quite restrictions, but requirements nevertheless).
Did he also say France was working towards 100% vaccination, ie mandatory?
He did say they were working towards 100% Ellianne children’s vaccinations start in September, including infants, there was a hint of mandatory. Doctolib, thé online booking system, crashed earlier with the requests.
Wow, thanks, very interesting to see how that works.
I don’t agree with vaccinating children at all with this.
Healthy eating & building an effective immune system would be much re beneficial.
No I haven't read this entire thread - I do not need to. Firstly there is NO vaccine that has been approved for children under 12. For those aged 12-17 then currenly only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved. Please stop spouting scare stories about vaccines and side effects - the vast majority of people either suffer none or only mild side effects. I did think a few months ago that maybe we should donate vaccines to other countries rather than vaccinating our teenagers. However, given young unvaccinated people are now the group mostly likely to catch covid, I do believe now that we should innoculate our teenagers against covid. We are in for the long haul here - there are no quick solutions.
Thank you for that post Saetana. I wondered why people why people were posting about under 12s when there is no question about them being vaccinated. 12-17 year olds are different.
BTW I wondered about donating doses to other countries, but the problem seems to be that there are supply problems with Pfizer. It would make sense and be morally right to donate spare doses of AZ because it doesn't need ultra-cold storage, which many developing countries lack, and it's not the preferred vaccine for under 40s anyway.
chrissy08
I don’t agree with vaccinating children at all with this.
Healthy eating & building an effective immune system would be much re beneficial.
I don't think so! 
Nobody really knows how to "build up a healthy immune system", especially one capable of resisting coronavirus.
I do not agree with your views Whitewave. We know how Covid is transmitted, we are vaccinated, we have to take the risks and get our lives back, not live in this alternative universe. It is so damaging to our younger people , they have lost the most, born the brunt it must stop. We should be thinking of them and getting the economy back so they can have what we took for granted for many, many years.
Whitewavemark2
Sparkling
We all know how its transmitted, just be careful. Normal life needs to resume, we have to live along side Covid.
Absolutely not! Mitigation must continue. Wait until vaccination is complete.
Vaccinations will never be complete, not in the whole population. The anti vaxxers, who are doing their damage, the ethnic minorities who won’t have it, the people who have been frightened by all the publicity about adverse reactions, although very rare are enough to stop some people having it. I do agree that restrictions should be kept in place for longer, and my family will still be observing them re hands face and back to online shopping for a while longer.
Allsorts
I do not agree with your views Whitewave. We know how Covid is transmitted, we are vaccinated, we have to take the risks and get our lives back, not live in this alternative universe. It is so damaging to our younger people , they have lost the most, born the brunt it must stop. We should be thinking of them and getting the economy back so they can have what we took for granted for many, many years.
No, we should be vaccinating them, so they are fit and well enough to enjoy the fruits of the "economy".
Lin52
Whitewavemark2
Sparkling
We all know how its transmitted, just be careful. Normal life needs to resume, we have to live along side Covid.
Absolutely not! Mitigation must continue. Wait until vaccination is complete.
Vaccinations will never be complete, not in the whole population. The anti vaxxers, who are doing their damage, the ethnic minorities who won’t have it, the people who have been frightened by all the publicity about adverse reactions, although very rare are enough to stop some people having it. I do agree that restrictions should be kept in place for longer, and my family will still be observing them re hands face and back to online shopping for a while longer.
Vaccination doesn't need to be 100%. With the delta variant, it's estimated that it needs to be 85% for population aka herd immunity.
Take up is lower in people from ethnic backgrounds, but it's rising and many of them are vaccinated.
85% coverage of all over 12s is realistic and achievable. It just takes time (weeks) and the will.
That of course is what I meant by “complete”
Over 12s and certainly over 16s need to be vaccinated to help prevent them getting long covid.
At present people suffer worse as they age, but no one can say if a mutation doesn’t occur with the reverse. We need as many as possible vaccinated to try to prevent the virus freely mutating.
Thank you for that postSaetana. I wondered why people why people were posting about under 12s when there is no question about them being vaccinated. 12-17 year olds are different.
Because it is being trialled and will inevitably/possibly be the next step. Other countries are going down that route.
This pandemic and vaccination programme calls us to consider all ages, all nationalities etc.
Merci Jaxjacky, for me that is interesting.
Just in time for the school holidays when hundreds of French children travel alone by long distance trains to relatives or to colonies de vacances. No proof of jab, no visits. I have a feeling there will be a scramble on that front to get kids jabbed. No wonder Doctolib crashed.
To my amazement some still do not seem to understand how the virus is transmitted. At one restaurant, where I sat outside, I commented to the waitress about lack of ventilation inside, and how tricky to work there all day. She replied that it did get rather hot, and hadn’t a clue what I was on about. ?. In M&S till staff had no masks, but were behind screen at front, (when you pack at the side). Airborne viruses are not confine by a square of Perspex. I suppose even these meagre barriers will disappear next week.
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