We are about to embark upon an exciting new journey, if the new health secretary is to believed. Like the prime minister Sajid Javid appears to be confident that restrictions will not be lifted on that date. However, data is starting to show a different story.The majority of scientists supported Boris Johnson's cautious approach when he said that his government would be guided only by data and not dates. The signs are now dire. The highly transmissible Delta variant is driving cases to increase exponentially. The rate of vaccination has slowed. A drained NHS is seeing an increase in hospitalizations. More than half of the population in the UK is not fully vaccinated.As vaccines are more widely available, the government's strategy to reduce restrictions is in jeopardy. The delicate balance between opening up society and not overburdening the NHS is at stake. Scientists believe that the NHS may be left to pick up the pieces if the cases keep rising, but could also create fertile ground for more dangerous variants.Good news is that vaccines have greatly reduced the risk of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths. There have been 116.287 cases in the UK over the past seven days. This compares to 122 deaths. However, these deaths won't be confirmed for another two to three weeks. A little over 62% of adults have been fully vaccinated.It seems foolish to underestimate this variant which is responsible for approximately 99% of all new Covid cases. This variant is 60% more likely to transmit than the Alpha variant. It is also more susceptible to vaccines, especially after just one dose.Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, says that if we want to protect our society from all possible outbreaks, then it is necessary for a large proportion of the population, potentially including teenagers, to be fully vaccinated. This means that there is less chance of cases spiraling out of control and there is less risk of spreading the disease. Scientists suggest that we might need to keep some restrictions in place beyond 19 July to ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed. They also want to limit long Covid cases, slow down the increase in the backlog, and protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed in the near future.Martin McKee, professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that if we fail to contain the pandemic, it is not clear how restricting access will help. Also, I don't understand how the new health secretary can feel confident that the virus won't mutate to escape vaccine-induced immunity.Even Israel, with one of the highest rates of vaccination globally, isn't immune to the wrath from Delta. Last week, the country had to reimpose its mask mandates due to an increase in cases just 10 days after it lifted the requirement. The World Health Organization advised everyone to continue wearing masks until the global vaccination rate improves, despite the fact that the variant has spread rapidly.We all want a little bit of normalcy, much like the health secretary. We all desire the restrictions to be lifted. We can't wish for these things. Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage subcommittee behavioural science, said that we must take steps to stop the rapid rise in cases. A grimmer reality could make it difficult to embark on the exciting new journey.
