London, Thanasis Gavos
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson did not rule out the possibility of changes in the management of the coronavirus pandemic, such as the reduction of the quarantine period for carriers and the abolition of free antigen testing for all citizens.
During a visit to a pharmacy on Monday afternoon, Mr Johnson initially said the country was making “great progress”, but warned that the Omicron variant remained “incredibly contagious”.
He said that now 36 million citizens have received the third dose of the vaccine, but noted that on the other hand the number of patients has recorded a huge increase and continues to increase.
“We are making great progress. “The number of people who have done the boost is 36 million, 90% of those over the age of 50 have done it, but there are still millions who have to do it,” he said.
Asked if a further reduction in the isolation time for those diagnosed with coronavirus from seven to five days was being considered, a move supported by some Conservative ministers and lawmakers, Johnson replied: “What we need to do is look at science. . We are looking at it and we will act according to science “.
A spokesman for the prime minister’s office later said: “If it is possible to go further, we would like to act quickly, but it needs to be based on the latest data and this work is ongoing and we have certainly not received any further recommendations.”
Asked if the restriction addresses the free availability of rapid antigen tests only to symptomatic citizens and to health facilities or schools, Mr Johnson said the tests would be free for all “for as long as necessary”.
The British Prime Minister also defended the obligation of vaccination for workers in the front line of the NHS health system, saying that “maybe 30% or more” of the 18,000 coronavirus carriers were infected after being admitted to hospital.
“It simply came to our notice then. You should not go to the hospital and then stick to Covid. “So it’s very important that our NHS staff are properly protected, that they are properly vaccinated, and I certainly encourage that.”
The government has decided that any NHS worker in England who comes into contact with patients without having had the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine by February 3 will risk losing his job by the end of March.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
