Study says UK needs to vaccinate two million a week to prevent a third wave of COVID-19

(Reuters) – Britain needs to vaccinate two million people a week to avoid a third wave of coronavirus outbreaks, a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has concluded.

The UK has reported more than 71,000 deaths from coronavirus and more than 2.3 million cases of COVID-19 infections since late Monday, according to a Reuters report.

“The strictest intervention scenario with level 4 in England and schools closed in January and 2 million people vaccinated per week, is the only scenario we have considered, which reduces the maximum load of ICU below the levels observed during the first wave” , said the study.

“In the absence of a substantial release of vaccines, cases, hospitalizations, ICU hospitalizations and deaths in 2021 may exceed those in 2020.”

An accelerated absorption of two million vaccinated per week “is estimated to have a much more substantial impact,” added bit.ly/3o9l2MJ. The study has not yet been evaluated by colleagues.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his scientific advisers have said that a variant of coronavirus, which could be up to 70% more communicable, is spreading rapidly in the UK, although it is not believed to be more deadly or cause more serious disease.

This led to strict measures to restrict the social mix for London and the south-east of England, while plans to ease Christmas borders across the nation were dramatically reduced or eliminated.

Media reports over the weekend said the UK would launch the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine starting January 4, with its approval by the country’s medical regulator in a few days.

Earlier this month, the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to launch the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The British government said on Thursday that 600,000 people in the UK had received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine since inoculations began.