Covid: Keeping you updated 6

As you read this, the PM will more than likely have used his Sunday night broadcast to announce some relaxation of the current levels of lockdown. Despite pressure from the Exchequer, all the smart money is on a phased relaxation over many months. Something akin to the five-phase approach announced in Ireland on May 3 would seem sensible,¹ which would mean most eye care practices would reopen to offer triaging and COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES), but business as before will remain a distant goal.

The risk of relaxation is, of course, greater exposure to infection and a second peak of disease. So, key to the next few months is the roll out of better testing and tracing, improved treatments, and the big daddy of them all – effective vaccination.