It\u2019s all feeling a lot more relaxed than it was, isn\u2019t it? We are meeting our friends, we\u2019re going out for meals and going into pubs. We are holidaying in the UK; some of us are even venturing abroad. For many of us, there is a sense that the corner has been turned and life can, gradually, get back to normal.<\/p>\n
Yet some people are still very apprehensive, even fearful, of society opening up post-Covid. These include people with underlying health conditions or who have other high risk factors. They may be elderly. They may have lost someone to coronavirus. For some people it is a manifestation of an underlying mental health or anxiety problem.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, being able to check the facts for yourself helps. There are places you can go to check local and national data. You can be provided with a comparison of that local data to the national average. The Coronavirus in the UK Daily Summary Page<\/a> on gov.uk does just that. The CovidLiveUK webpage<\/a> does a similar thing, plotting the data on a map. This page also gives updated figures on cases and deaths. Live data from today shows that the death rate overall sits at 2% of cases.<\/p>\n Our experience so far deters us from wholesale commitment to thinking that things will be okay now. What we read and hear in the media can seem confusing. The epidemiologists remain circumspect about another wave of infections. Meanwhile, there is general recognition that the high levels of vaccination in the UK should counter a return to the mortality rates seen this and last year. It is accepted by the experts that the risk of serious or fatal infection with Sars-Cov2 has dropped considerably. However, as I was reviewing this article prior to publishing today, I noticed a news story on Sky saying that last week, the UK recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths since March this year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s okay to practice caution if you are feeling apprehensive. Wear masks in crowded areas. It is still common to see people in supermarkets and small shops doing just that. It is the same on public transport. It is okay to go at your own pace. Continue to use hand sanitiser. Limit where you go and whom you meet. What is important is that we respect other\u2019s decisions in these matters alongside our own. One of the emotions that seems to have spread across society as a result of the pandemic is people being more aware of each others\u2019 feelings and being kinder to each other. It will be great if that can be maintained as we gradually emerge from the worst effects of the pandemic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018UK passes four Covid-19 tests to ease lockdown & will AVOID third wave, says Whitty<\/u><\/a>\u2019 on The Sun on YouTube. This is a broadcast from May 2021 but it serves to remind of the reasons restrictions are being lifted at this time<\/p>\n \u2018COVID-19: UK records highest total of weekly coronavirus-related deaths since March\u2019<\/a> by Alexa Phillips on sky.com<\/p>\n \u2018The freedom we\u2019re enjoying after lockdown is fragile. It\u2019ll disintegrate if we keep ignoring Covid protocols\u2019<\/a> by Stefano Hatfield on inews.co.uk<\/p>\n \u2018Anxiety Of The Clinically Vulnerable As Restrictions Ease\u2019<\/a> by Care first via Staff Health & Wellbeing website<\/p>\n \u2018Travelling Safely\u2019<\/a> by Care first via the Staff Health & Wellbeing website<\/p>\n \u2018Travelling With Unvaccinated Children and How To Manage The Risks\u2019<\/a> by Care first via Staff Health & Wellbeing website<\/p>\n \u2018People not getting tested for Covid to avoid self-isolation, expert suggests\u2019<\/a> by Patrick Daly on standard.co.uk<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m an epidemiologist. Here\u2019s what I got wrong about covid\u2019<\/a> by Eleanor Murray on The Washington Post via msn.com<\/p>\n \u2018UK could see a \u2018large\u2019 Covid wave in autumn, Professor Neil Ferguson warn\u2019<\/a> by Abbianca Makoni on standard.co.uk; Professor Ferguson qualifies this by emphasising the protective effects of vaccination<\/p>\n