Dikhyaa Mohanty 
British scientists warned of a pretty miserable winter ahead for the country due to the likely emergence of new respiratory viruses, with further lockdowns a possibility.
According to Professor Calum Semple, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), a British government advisory body stated that children and elderly people will be especially vulnerable to endemic viruses at the end of the year.
He described it as the fourth wave winter and stated that there’s a sting in the tail after every pandemic because social distancing will have reduced people’s exposure to usual endemic respiratory viruses such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
Meanwhile, Susan Hopkins, Public Health England’s director for COVID-19, warned that they may have to do further lockdowns this winter depending on whether hospitals start to become overwhelmed.
Scientists have warned that the third wave of coronavirus infections is definitely underway in England due to the fast spread of the Delta variant first identified in India, even though hospital admissions will hopefully not be on the same scale as in January.
According to the recent data published by Public Health England showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine, 96 per cent effective.More than 42.6 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 31 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose.
