The idea we can get mass production of an effective vaccine within the next year or so is far more unlikely, than likely.
We cannot restrict and lockdown continually until there is a vaccine because it is not going to come in the next few months.
How long do they persist with waiting for a vaccine?
I don't know how long before a vaccine is available. The Oxford one is well into final testing, but you can't cut corners AND be responsible at the same time. Last I heard is that best hopes are for early Spring and that's assuming there are no complications. The good news is that pharmaceuticals are already producing this particular vaccine in large numbers and they expect to have 10s of millions available by the end of the year ready to distribute once the go ahead is given. There are similar development in France, Germany and the USA. (China and Russia too but I can't trust any information that comes out of those countries)
In the meantime we have to learn to live with the virus and to try and maintain as much of the economy as possible whilst keeping infections under control. For me, the answer is quite simple. Everyone just has to stick to social distancing rules. If we all did this infection would come back down. Whilst it's primarily the younger generation who are guilty of this they aren't by any means the only culprits.
The area's that are going into extra restrictions now are doing so because too many people in those area's have been breaking the social distancing rules. Whether that be in bars, in private parties, in the workplace or in peoples homes. They then go home and give it to their families, some of who will be older and sadly higher risk.
My own sister, who is 63 and works for the NHS is herself recovering from covid. Luckily she wasn't hospitalised but she was restricted to bed for a number of days and quite poorly by all accounts. She caught it from her daughter who admitted that she broke social distancing rules whilst on a night out in Liverpool. This is exactly what happens.
You can make a list as long as the River Severn of mistakes that this government has made throughout this pandemic, but these extra restrictions introduced are not part of the problem. Shutting pubs at 10pm was done for a reason, to stop people from breaking social distancing rules. The public response should have been to go home to bed, not to congregate at the nearest persons flat with six pack under their arm.
People have to take personal responsibility, and the rest of us have to stop making excuses for them. Every time they break social distancing rules somebody dies and somebody else loses their job. Hopefully the penny will drop sooner rather than later.
