New normal
THE country is gradually breaking out of its straitjacket of Covid fear, thanks to a combination of natural immunity, the virus’s milder mutation, supplementary treatments and, most crucially, jabs.
Leading immunologist Sir John Bell, of Oxford University, said yesterday he believes big waves of Covid deaths in the UK are “now history”.
That’s not to say high case numbers can be ignored. If nothing else, it’s crippling for the economy to have a Pingdemic Mark 2, leaving schools, hospitals and businesses in a staffing crisis.
But unless the expected uptick in festive hospitalisations over the next fortnight morphs into a seismic spike, we should look to learn to live with Covid.
Others such as the US are already shaving down the isolation period for positive cases by as much as half providing certain conditions are met.
One outbreak specialist, Professor Paul Hunter, argues we need to let people with Covid go about their business as if they had a normal cold “sooner rather than later”, perhaps even after Easter.
Sounds like a rare outbreak of common sense that Sage’s panicky prophets of doom might want to study.
No spoil spurts
AN example of what’s up for grabs if we can shake off Omicron’s shackles came this week in the latest forecasts for the UK’s economic resurgence in 2022.
GDP is predicted to jump by 4.8 per cent next year, the highest growth spurt in the G7 for the second year running.
Even allowing for Britain’s sharper dip early in the pandemic, it is encouraging to be able to comfortably outpace our rivals in clawing back lost ground.
A major factor is the speedy rollout of booster vaccines, but we must now take care not to squander that advantage.
A separate forecast this week by CEBR economists tipped us to leave France trailing in our dust by the mid-2030s, opening up a gap as wide as 16 per cent.
Despite its troubles, the Government must be doing something right.
’Canu help?
JUST a fortnight ago, as the second series of I’m A Celebrity filmed in Wales fizzled out, the nation yearned for a time when we could send a bunch of highly paid stars to Australia to endure a series of stomach-churning trials, humiliations and fallouts.
The England cricket team’s slump to an abject 3-0 Ashes defeat Down Under yesterday is a reminder to be careful what you wish for.
But with pride still to play for in the remaining two Tests, we note with interest that Brit tennis wonder Emma Raducanu is arriving in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open.
Might she be persuaded to warm up with a couple of outings opening the batting
