We anxiously watch as new covid cases slowly drop but is this just a result of school half term?

The general consensus is that the bulk of new cases at the moment are amongst the young with the older people happily showing less cases. This does not mean older people can relax because they have grandchildren!

At 247,537 for the past seven days numbers are still high and this is not a moment to think it is all over. We have done that before and then been taken by surprise when the trend has reversed again. This time we will be watching to see if that is the case once more.

Deaths are still higher than we would like to see at 1,174 over the past seven days and hospitalisations, albeit fairly flat, are on a high platform at 7,241 and still rising.

The government continues to push getting your booster jab if you are entitled to it. Originally it was thought that two jabs wold be sufficient but clearly the official thinking on that one has changed dramatically and the Health Secretary is now bribing everyone to get their booster so that we can have Christmas. In fact you can now book your booster a month in advance whereas until last week you had to wait until you were entitled to it to actually make your booking.

The problem is that as winter draws on, it gets colder and people will tend to be meeting indoors more and more and with less and less ventilation. Professor Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer says that caution is now needed. So face coverings are still recommended and of course keep taking those lateral flow tests especially for your meetings when you will be sitting quietly for perhaps extended periods of time with a group of people.

Clearly the direction of travel over the next few weeks is going to be pivotal.

Adrian Leopard     07-11-21

Photo Yibei Geng