- Title: "We need to learn to live with COVID," British health minister says
- Date: 6th July 2021
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 6, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FRONT COVER OF DAILY BRITISH NEWSPAPERS
- Embargoed: 20th July 2021 10:26
- Keywords: COVID-19 Health Secretary Sajid Javid Prime Minister Boris Johnson pandemic restrictions
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA007EKPC8QV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The world can no longer think only about COVID-19 and ignore the other critical health issues, economic problems and education challenges that have build up during the pandemic, Britain's health minister said on Tuesday (July 6).
"What had shocked me most is learning that some 7 million people did not come forward for help from the NHS during the course of the pandemic. These are people with cancer, with heart disease, with other serious illnesses, with mental health problems that have grown significantly," Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out plans on Monday (July 5) to end social and economic COVID-19 restrictions in England in two weeks' time, a test of whether a rapid vaccine rollout offers enough protection from the highly contagious Delta variant.
After imposing the most onerous constraints on behaviour in Britain's peacetime history to battle the novel coronavirus, Johnson is betting the vaccination programme, which has weakened the link between infections and hospital admissions, can prevent the health service being overwhelmed by a new wave of COVID-19.
Britain has suffered the seventh highest global death toll from COVID-19, and Johnson has been accused of being too slow to implement each of England's three lockdowns.
But the take-up of vaccines in Britain has been strong, with 86% of adults receiving a first dose and 64% receiving two doses as of Monday, according to government data.
Public Health England figures indicate that the vaccines are highly effective in preventing the Delta variant from leading to severe illness or hospital admission, especially after two doses.
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