It was around a few days back that Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom warned about a possible second wave of coronavirus that could wreak havoc in Europe during winter.
Now, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton has suggested that countries in Europe should work together while lifting lockdown measures, and they claimed that this move is quite crucial to prevent the rise of COVID-19 cases in winter.
The possibility of a coronavirus second wave
The study carried out by researchers in association with WorldPop revealed that premature ending of social distancing measures and lockdown rules could cause a surge in coronavirus cases in Europe. According to the study, this sudden surge in coronavirus cases could give very little time to expand testing programs and to develop new treatments and vaccines.
"Our study shows the timing of any second epidemic across Europe depends on the actions of countries that are populous, well-connected and currently have strong interventions in place. The uncoordinated easing of NPIs can lead to much earlier secondary epidemics, while coordination can mean much higher likelihoods of eliminating all local cases," said Dr Nick Ruktanonchai, lead author of the study, in a recent statement.
Professor Andy Tatem. director of WorldPop said that international solidarity to share resources and expertise to combat COVID-19 is very much essential to contain the pandemic effectively.
"Our results underline this and suggest that coordination between countries removing lockdown measures is vital. One country ending Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) before others could lead to an accelerated resurgence of the disease," added Tatem.
Countries that are at risk
The new study also listed out the names of the countries that could emerge as a hotbed of coronavirus if a second wave happens. According to the study, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK were identified as countries that could face chaos due to a second coronavirus wave.
A few days back, Stephen Holgate, a professor and co-lead author of a report by Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) had suggested that the second coronavirus outbreak in the United Kingdom could be more serious than the first, and it could kill more than 1,20,000 people in the country alone.
