After more than a year of fierce fight against the coronavirus, England decided on July 19 to lift all health restrictions.
A "Freedom day" for the time being successful when the first figures suggest a drop of more than a quarter in the number of positive cases each day in the country.
All health restrictions related to Covid-19 were lifted on July 19, the day of "Freedom day" in England.
A risky bet when other countries, like France, on the contrary decided to tighten the screw.
But three weeks later, the results indicate that Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to have won his bet on confinement.
Because for now, the virus remains controlled in the country.
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The numbers speak for themselves.
The number of positive cases each day has fallen by more than a quarter: there were 40,000 in July against 29,000 on average today.
Yet the British are taking advantage of the end of the restrictions.
The mask is no longer compulsory in closed places, there is no longer any gauge limit.
In London, for example, block parties abound in the streets and summer festivals are as crowded as before the pandemic.
If this decrease can potentially be explained by several reasons such as the start of school holidays or the end of the Euro football, many scientists do not hide their surprise at this decline in the epidemic.
Group immunity impossible
Yet these numbers do not mean the country is out of the woods when it comes to the virus.
Despite appearances, vigilance is still required because group immunity does not seem possible with the coronavirus.
In any case, this is explained by epidemiologist Paul Hunter.
“Group immunity occurs when there is indirect protection from people who are not immune. With measles for example, if you have 93 or 95% of the population immunized, then the 5% who do not. not been vaccinated do not catch it, "he continues.
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The specialist is categorical, people who have received the two doses can still be infected and contract the virus. "As for those who have not been vaccinated and have not yet had the natural infection, they will catch the Covid," he says. A risk of a new wave in the fall is therefore still relevant, despite the high rate of vaccination - 89% of the population received a first injection. But this risk is mainly linked to the Delta variant, which like everywhere spreads very quickly. This is why the British government is considering vaccinating the most vulnerable people a third time.