LONDON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- As the second phase of lockdown easing has taken effect across England, frontline medical professionals are asking the British government to ensure that all the necessary systems are in place in order to control the virus.
Much of the economy re-opened in England from Monday including shops and gyms, but it was images of people outdoor drinking and dining that has caused concern among some of the public.
For Dr Preeti Shukla, a general practitioner (GP) in Lancashire in northern England, and the GP forum chair of British International Doctors Association, she said she believes that a number of key systems need to be in place in order for the easing to be a success.
"I do believe that lockdown cannot continue forever, because there are things we have to consider; the wider economy, the mental health of people, and the social aspect of it," Shukla told Xinhua.
"But any ease in lockdown needs to be accompanied by strong public health measures, there needs to be a robust test and trace system and the rollout of vaccination programs all need to work in conjunction so that there is a safe easing of lockdown."
It is believed that Britain's progress in its vaccination rollout, paired with the drop in cases thanks to the lockdown have meant that it can begin to re-open parts of its economy.
But virologists are warning people to remain vigilant.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has echoed experts' concerns, urging people to "continue to behave responsibly" as the restrictions were eased.
For Shukla, it will likely be a case of seeing how it goes for the next few weeks to determine how the virus remains under control.
"We're as ready as we will ever be, because it's a very fluid situation, you know, circumstances change. And I think if we all act responsibly, we just need to see how things go and keep a very close eye on how COVID numbers are, how we are doing and respond quickly to any changes."
Johnson also admitted that with easing restrictions, they would expect cases to rise. With news of the variant related to South Africa causing a spike in South London -- instances like these may hinder the progress of re-opening.
"With any easing (of lockdown), there is always going to be that thing which we need to consider that when we are meeting other people, there's always a risk we have to carry," Shukla said. "So we'll just have to see how things go. But I think if we do things carefully, we can keep an eye on the numbers, we can keep the numbers low."
"And currently, you know, the population is vaccinated as well. But I don't want people to feel that just because they are vaccinated they can go easy on social distancing or not covering their faces, or not doing the hand washing, we still need to do all of that, in addition to the fact that we are vaccinated," she said. "So I think if we all work together, hopefully, fingers crossed, we won't see that high a rise in COVID numbers as we have seen with previous lockdown eases."
VACCINE CERTIFICATION
The British government is still considering when and how to implement COVID-19 certification, amid concerns over how this may discriminate against people who are unable to take the vaccine.
Shukla said something like this is already in operation in terms of international travel: If you test negative for COVID-19, you can travel.
For Shukla, a "vaccine passport" may help open British borders safely.
"We need to factor in how we can open our borders safely, but what we don't want is that in order to make 'COVID passports' available, it shouldn't be discriminatory in any way, that it should be accessible to everybody," she said. "And the way we make it accessible digitally should not impact on the healthcare system as well."
Shukla has already experienced patients attempting to ask the GP for such certification, which in small numbers is manageable, but if that demand were to increase it could hinder healthcare services' capacity to operate well.
"They're ringing up the general practitioners saying that, or their surgeries or pharmacies or wherever they have had their vaccination, that could they have a 'COVID passport' because that would take us away from patient care," she said. "So as long as there was a digital solution to it, which is accessible to most people, and is not discriminatory, that is something that can be looked into."
GLOBAL VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
If "vaccine passports" are to be adopted globally, there needs to be systems in place that mean the vaccine can be fairly distributed to countries around the world, especially those who cannot afford or store millions of doses.
The availability of vaccines is what counts in all the regions across the world, she said.
"The other thing is actually delivering the vaccine at ground level," she said. "Having a mass vaccination campaign at country level, it's no easy feat. You need really good organizational capabilities, you need healthcare professionals, you need a delivery system maintaining the cold chain. So we need to look at it from a system level and a local level as well that how will it reach the people."
Shukla said she believes that rich countries should look to support the poorer nations who are struggling.
"We need to be mindful of the fact that if another pandemic occurs, we have systems in place for a quick rollout of the vaccination program at a (global) scale," she said.
More than 32.4 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to latest official figures released Friday.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
