In the face of increasing daily reports of COVID infection, U.K. authorities are closely monitoring the incidence of the Delta COVID variant AY.4.2 that is now responsible for six percent of all sequences examined with almost all incident cases attributed to the Delta variant.  The AY.4.2 variant has mutations in the spike protein at A22V and Y145H that may increase infectivity.

Public health specialists are questioning whether social restrictions should be re-imposed in advance of winter.  Most restrictions were lifted in mid-July when restaurants, pubs and nightclubs reopened and mask wearing became a personal choice other than on public transport.

Currently as in the U.S., COVID restrictions are a major political issue with the Minister responsible for business clearly stating, “I absolutely think that it would be completely wrong for us to go back into a lockdown.”  Prime Minister Boris Johnson is of the opinion that the U.K. would only return to lockdown as a last resort.  The current position of the Conservative party  Government is that the nation must “learn to live with the virus”. 

The U.K. with a population of 68 million is recording between 40,000 and 50,000 incident cases of COVID daily (73 per 100,000) with a rise in hospitalizations.  On October 18th, the U.K. had 7,750 patients in hospitals (11 per 100,000 population) compared to France with 6,730 and previously hard-hit Italy with 3,010 cases.  Canada has 2,400 cases in hospital compared to 50,832 in the U.S. (22 per 100,000 population)

There is little spare capacity within the National Health Service that is now preparing to care for elderly patients with respiratory infections normally encountered in winter.