The daily Covid statistics in the UK remain broadly stable. Currently, the number of daily new cases is creeping up again whereas the numbers in hospital and requiring a ventilator have decreased slightly. Two weeks ago, hospital figures were rising but new cases were falling. For the last couple of months, we hare have remained in this quietly undulating situation. This is not the same for Europe where countries like Germany are facing the full force of the pandemic again. The big difference is that only 65% of Germans are double immunised as against 80% of the British.
The number of tests done have fallen. Only just over 800, 000 today and 816,000 yesterday. Normally we have seen a much higher figure on a Tuesday. We will not detect positive cases if we do not test for it.
There were just over 38,000 positive tests today and 1,000 less yesterday. Despite the low number of tests being done it still means that on a 7-day rolling average 15.1% more positive results were found in the last week. The current positive test rate has risen again to 387 per 100,000.
Deaths on each of the last two days have exceeded 200. There were 214 yesterday and 201 today. There was a small drop in the weekly average, the death rate remains 1.5 /100k of the population.
The figures for admission on one day show 869 on 12th November and 778 on 13th November. There is an anomaly with the number currently in in hospital. There should have been an up-to-date figure but the figure of 8,705 refers to the 11th November. There has been no explanation offered yet.
Those on a ventilator and therefore seriously ill have dropped slightly but not significantly. 968 on 15th November and 938 yesterday.
The immunisation data continues to rise extremely slowly. We need a really good push to add 4 million people quickly. There are now 50.64m with a first jab , that’s 88.0%. 2nd jabs, there have been 46.05 million done or 80.2%.and third doses or booster are rising better, 13.49 million have been done, that’s 22.9%. There is plenty of work for the immunisation centres to do. We just have to get people there.
The world situation is that as of now there have been 255 million people infected with Covid, and 5 million people have died. That’s 2 people for every 100,000 cases.
With Germany hit by the full force of the 4th wave as daily infections exceed 53,000 , Angela Merkel has made a plea for Germans to be immunised . Both the Netherlands and Austria have new lockdowns in place. Sweden is introducing a Covid pass from 1st December. The Czech Republic has moved to ban everyone from public events if they are not fully immunised or have recently been proven to have Covid infection. Just having a negative test will no longer be enough. Slovakia intends to extend this to the workplace and shops as well. In other words if not immunised you cannot go to work or out shopping. Slovakia only has a 44% immunisation rate, they desperately need to raise this to almost twice as much.
Austria now has a 65% immunisation rate and Germany 68%. France is much better than a year ago. Now anyone over 50 can have a booster jab as we can in England. Their Pass Sanitaire has proved very effective.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have stricter rules than the UK. Although we have done well with immunisations we could do so much better. Can we really sit back, relax and claim it’s all over when we are still seeing 200 deaths every day?
Today I have heard a lot of garbage from an individual with enough intelligence to know much better. Still believing the vaccination is experimental and unproven. The vaccination history in the UK goes back 200 years. No vaccine has ever proved to be dangerous once approved for use. Our Vaccine has passed all the tests with no problem. It's time to make the vaccine mandatory and withdraw privileges from the refusers. We have done it before with Smallpox. Reluctantly we need to do it again. Two hundred deaths a day is unacceptable when we know how to substantially reduce it, I am keen to know your thoughts on this. Meanwhile take no chances and stay safe.