Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘Pandemic is not over’: ministers criticised for scrapping UK Covid surveillance

‘Pandemic is not over’: ministers criticised for scrapping UK Covid surveillance

Schemes coming to an end is ‘yet another example of short-term thinking’
Ministers have been accused of “turning off the headlights at the first sign of dawn” after scrapping nationwide Covid surveillance programmes, with scientists saying it will almost certainly end up costing more money in the long run.

Last week, scientists announced that the React study – which randomly tests about 150,000 people across England each month to see how many are infected with coronavirus – will be scrapped at the end of March, and no further data will be collected beyond that point.

Funding is also being withdrawn from the Zoe covid symptom study, the Siren and Vivaldi studies (which monitor infections in health workers and care homes) and the CoMix social contacts survey, while mass free testing is due to end on 1 April.

The Office for National Statistics’ Covid infection survey, which regularly samples the same 180,000 people to estimate what percentage of the UK populations is infected, will continue.

It comes as growing numbers of new infections in multiple countries led one expert to prompt speculation that Europe could be at the start of a sixth wave of Covid infections, partly driven by the “stealth” BA.2 Omicron variant.

Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, said the decisions on Covid surveillance would slow the country’s ability to respond and adjust to future waves or surges of infection, making the current reliance on emergency booster programmes progressively less viable, and were at best “shortsighted”.

Griffin said: “At worst, it is symptomatic of a policy-driven movement to ignore the fact that the pandemic is not over, and that we remain in a highly dynamic situation with respect to immunity versus infection and virus evolution. This is about as far from ‘following the science’ as you can get.

“Losing these programmes will almost certainly end up costing more in terms of disruption than saved. It is a false economy, and yet another example of short-term thinking.”

Stephen Reicher, a psychologist at the University of St Andrews, said the decisions made no sense on public safety or public health grounds. “It is like turning off the headlights at the first sign of dawn. You can’t see what’s coming and you don’t know when it makes sense to turn them on again,” he said.

Earlier this month, the government announced that its Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) would no longer regularly meet to discuss coronavirus. Reicher, who sat on the Sage behavioural science subcommittee, said the decision to stop funding these surveillance studies was “far more significant than standing down Sage”.

He said: “Those scientists are still working and can reconvene quickly. But how can they work – or know if they need to reconvene – if the data isn’t there?”

The ending of free mass testing on 1 April could make the situation even worse. “Johnson’s insistence that ‘tests will be available for anybody to buy’ completely misses the point,” said Dr Kit Yates, a mathematical biologist at the University of Bath. “Many people in the UK will not be in the position to spend a significant portion of their budget on testing each week. Others will simply be put off by the cost.

“The consequence will be that testing drops significantly, people become less aware when they are infectious, and consequently less able to take the ‘personal responsibility’ that the government has been highlighting so vociferously in the aftermath of their removal of other Covid mitigations.”

According to the latest ONS figures, the percentage of people estimated to have tested positive for coronavirus rose in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the week ending 5 March, while the percentage of infections compatible with the Omicron BA.2 variant also increased across all countries.

Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and many other European countries have also seen a sharp increase in daily confirmed cases since the start of March.

Dr Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, US, said the uptick could mark the beginning of a sixth wave of Covid infections in Europe, driven by a combination of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants and the relaxation of restrictions in many countries.

Topol said: “There are definitive signs of a new wave starting throughout many countries in Europe, some of which also are also showing increases in Covid hospitalisations. It is hard, at this point, to determine if the cause is reducing or eliminating restrictions, BA.2’s higher rate of transmission, or waning of immune protection from vaccines.

“Right now is the last time that countries like the UK and US should be cutting funding or abandoning any surveillance and testing measures. As much as we all would like it to be, the pandemic is far from over.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×