These are the questions that many people have in their heads: How optimistic or pessimistic should you be about the pandemic? What is the UK's position relative to other countries? Is the worst of the crisis over?The worst appears to have subsided two weeks after freedom day in England, with case numbers throughout the UK still lower than some modellers feared. Experts say future lockdowns are unlikely unless new variants are discovered.Covid has proven time and again that the future is unpredictable. The UK saw an increase in cases over the summer but they plummeted dramatically by mid-July. Experts were surprised and offered explanations, ranging from the mild weather to the end Euro 2020.The decline is now stalled, and the possibility that infections are rising again is possible. The UK has a higher Covid rate than other European countries. Reuters reported 282 cases per 100,000 people in the UK in the past seven days. This compares with 236 infections in France, 68 Italy, and 23 in Germany. Spain has a higher rate of 299 per 100,000. The UK's well-respected vaccination program is not an exception: Six European countries, including Portugal, have higher rates of fully vaccinated citizens.Experts say that although the hospital admits fewer patients with Covid than usual, it is seeing an increase in demand.Professor Ravi Gupta, University of Cambridge, was a co-opted member of New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, which advises the government. He said that the situation in hospitals was already challenging.He said that my entire hospital's infection ward was mainly Covid after he had just completed a round. He cited a mixture of unvaccinated and vaccinated patients. It is quite shocking to see how sick these people are compared to what is happening in society, where everyone thinks Covid is not a problem anymore.Gupta stated that the problem is that NHS resources are very limited due to high levels of Covid and other infections. This is not to mention the backlogs still to be cleared.Gupta said that it was too soon to say that it is over. It is sobering to see the extent of lung damage on patients scans.Professor Andrew Hayward, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, University College London, said that it was reassuring to see cases stabilize, as there was an exponential increase that threatened to overwhelm NHS. He said that the UK is moving from a situation of pandemic to one of endemic.Hayward stated that high levels of antibodies, cautious behavior among the public and other factors meant the situation boded very well for the summer/early autumn. However, the UK's future outlook is more uncertain.Sage documents point out that the possibility of a Covid revival, which could put considerable strain on NHS, is possible due to the return of office work and schools, as well as waning immunity.Prof Rowland Kao from the University of Edinburgh, who is an epidemiologist and contributes to Sage's Spi-M modelling group, shares this view.This [autumn] marks the time when we will also be concerned about flu transmission, RSV (respiratory sinus virus) and other respiratory diseases. However, it remains to be seen if the stress from these various illnesses will cause significant pressure on the NHS. He said that while there are some precautions, such as wearing masks, new variants can also be a concern.For now, however, the difference between street and ward seems to be intact. Gupta said that the only thing that we have to remind ourselves that people are still dying in hospitals is a public display of mask wearing.
