‘ALL the modelling’ suggests the UK will suffer another surge in coronavirus cases and deaths this, Chris Whitty has warned.
England’s Chief Medical Officer told the science and technology committee that despite the success of the vaccine rollout, enough virus will remain in circulation this year to cause a rise on cases and deaths.
He said this was due to the numbers of people refusing or unable to take the vaccine as well as the rare few for whom the vaccine does not work.
“Even if you have a relatively small proportion of people still remaining vulnerable, that still equates to a very large number” at risk he said.
“All the modelling suggests at some point we will get a surge in the virus. We hope it doesn’t happen soon – it might happen later in the summer if we open up gradually, or if there is a seasonal effect it might happen over the next autumn and winter,” he added.
“But all the modelling suggests there is going to be a further surge, and when it happens it will find the people who have not been vaccinated or where the vaccine has not worked. Some of them will be hospitalised and sadly some of them will die.”
“That is just the reality of the situation,” Whitty said, adding that the vaccine will see the cases to death “go right down, but not right down to zero”.
Whitty’s comments come cases and deaths in the UK plunged to the lowest levels in five months.
The national lockdown and vaccine rollout saw just 4,712 more coronavirus cases yesterday – a significant month-on-month fall – although tragically 65 more people were recorded as dying within 28 days of contracting Covid-19
Those are the lowest daily death and case numbers since October
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