• Life in the UK is mostly back to normal. Restaurants are not enforcing the wearing of masks or social distancing though sanitisation is highly encouraged.
• Rapid tests have been touted as the best mechanism to trace new infections and isolate cases to slow down the spread.
Image: OLIVER MATHENGE
On July 19, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted all the restrictions that had been imposed on the British to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lifting of the restriction followed an expression of confidence by authorities that the country’s hospitals were now capable of handling the new infections.
Though the number of new infections is still high, that of Britons who need hospitalisation has drastically gone done due to the high vaccination numbers
More than 56% of the UK adult population is now fully vaccinated though Johnson has warned that those not taking up the vaccination would face restrictions on some aspects of their lives.
Daily cases have dropped from a high of 53,969 on July 17 to 25,402 on July 28.
Life in the UK is mostly back to normal. Restaurants are not enforcing the wearing of masks or social distancing though sanitisation is highly encouraged.
The popular English street pubs are a hive of activity in the evening where social distancing is no longer an issue of concern.
On the streets, most people are walking without masks and those popular for shopping such as Oxford are a hive of activities.
However, a walk around Oxford showed that most shops are still encouraging people to wear their masks though it is no longer a legal requirement.
Public transport vehicles as well as taxis are also encouraging people to wear masks though most people remove them immediately they alight.
Image: OLIVER MATHENGE
But the UK continues to monitor and test people actively both at health facilities and at home.
This has been touted as the best mechanism to trace new infections and isolate cases to slow down the spread.
As you walk on the street you are likely to be handed a self testing kit for free with which you can test at home and register your results with the government.
The kits are easy to use and come with full instructions that allow you to get your results in 30 minutes.
While the rapid antigen test has been said to be 99% accurate, it is not accepted for travel and so anyone who needs to cross borders must do the PCR test.
The box that is being distributed in the UK in public places, and which can be ordered online, comes with seven test strips in sealed packaging.
There are also seven extraction buffer sachets, seven extraction tubes, seven swabs inside sealed wrapper and seven waste bags.
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The first step is to twist or snap open the buffer sachet. You then open the extraction tube and gently squeeze all of the liquid from the buffer sachet into the tube.
The box comes with a hole where you can place the tube to avoid spillage.
Peel open the swab packaging only when you are ready to use and gently take out the
Swab but do not touch the soft, fabric tip of the swab with your hands.
If you have done a Covid test before you are familiar with the next step only that this time, you have to do it on yourself.
Holding the swab between your fingers, open your mouth wide and rub the fabric tip of the swab over both tonsils with firm contact 4 times on each side.
You then put the same swab gently into 1 nostril until you feel a slight resistance. Roll the swab firmly around the inside of the nostril, making 10 complete circles.
You then pick up the extraction tube and place the fabric tip of the swab into the extraction tube so it is in the liquid.
You then press the tip against the edge of the extraction tube with force, while rotating it around the extraction tube for 15 seconds to transfer your sample into the liquid.
Pinch the extraction tube against the swab as you remove it and place it in a waste bag.
Press the cap tightly on to the extraction tube to avoid any leaks and then squeeze the extraction tube to place 2 drops of the liquid onto the specimen well on the test strip. It is labelled ‘S’.
Place your test strip on a flat surface and put on a 30-minute timer. The NHS advices that one should wait for the entire 30 minutes though a positive result may appear within 20 minutes.
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There are three kind of results from this test kit;
Negative result - One line next to C shows the test is negative.
Positive result - Two lines, one next to C and one next to T, even faint lines, shows the test is positive.
Void result - No lines or one line next to T means the test is void.
Once your test is complete, you are required to report it to the NHS by scanning the QR code on the kit.
You however cannot report a result after more than 24 hours.