Newsnight uses London Olympics to show death toll of Covid-19 in the UK
The UK government is facing calls for a total clampdown on social interaction to bring down coronavirus infection rates, with nurseries and places of worship closed this month.
Anthony Costello, a professor of global health at UCL and former WHO official, warned that the country was in a national crisis and needed to introduce a stricter lockdown to prevent deaths and the possibility of further damaging virus mutations.
We should have no nurseries open, no synagogues, no churches, no mosques. We should have compulsory masks, two-metre distancing, Mr Costello told the Sunday Mirror.
It came as Englands chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned that the NHS was facing the most dangerous situation in living memory due to Covid-19 this winter.Â
As the UKs mass vaccination campaign continues to rollout, Professor Whitty said that the only way to prevent avoidable deaths was for the public to stay home wherever possible.
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Our reporter, Kate Ng, has more details below on Professor Chris Whittys dire warning about the pressure on the NHS this winter:
Stay at home and prevent avoidable deaths, says chief medical officer for England
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:47
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Matt Hancock was less clear this morning about when coronavirus restrictions could be lifted – he told Sky News that he would not give a specific date for normality returning as the impact of the vaccine on transmission is still unknown:
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:44
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Hancock insists government is on course to reach vaccination target
Health secretary Matt Hancock has insisted that the government is on course to reach its target of 13 million people vaccinated by mid-February, with more than 200,000 people currently being vaccinated each day.
The rate limiting factor at the moment is supply but that’s increasing, Mr Hancock told Sky News Sophy Ridge.
I’m very glad to say that at the moment we’re running at over 200,000 people being vaccinated every day.
We’ve now vaccinated around one third of the over-80s in this country so we’re making significant progress but there’s still further expansion to go.
You can find his comments in full below:
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:35
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UK needs strict Asia-style lockdown to control virus, expert says
The UK government needs to introduce a stricter Asia-style lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus and prevent the possibility of further damaging mutations.
Anthony Costello, a professor of global health at UCL and former WHO official, told the Sunday Mirror that only a total clampdown would be enough to bring down infection rates.
We are in a national crisis with a pandemic out of control, Mr Costello said.
We should have no nurseries open, no synagogues, no churches, no mosques. We should have compulsory masks, two-metre distancing.
We have to take this really seriously thats what Asian states did.
He added: The longer we allow it to go on transmitting, the quicker we are going to get a resistant virus to a vaccine, then we are in real doo-doo.
Meanwhile, Christina Pagel, a professor of operational research at UCL, said that ministers needed to start thinking about mandatory isolation like in China and Vietnam, with hotels being used as isolation centres.
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:26
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Half a million over-80s invited to new mass vaccination centres
More than half a million people aged 80 and over will be invited to seven new mass vaccination centres this week, NHS England has said.
The vaccination centres, based across the seven NHS regions, are intended to act as a convenient alternative to the 1,000-plus existing sites at GP surgeries and hospitals.
Our reporter, Peter Stubley, has the full story below:
Letters sent out to those most at risk who have not yet had first jab
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:12
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Whitty warns NHS faces most dangerous situation in living memory
Englands chief medical officer has warned that the NHS is facing the most dangerous situation in living memory as hospitals struggle with record admissions due to coronavirus.
Writing for the Sunday Times, Professor Chris Whitty said that the only way to prevent avoidable deaths while the vaccine was rolled-out was for the public to stay home wherever possible.
Hospitals are always busy in winter, but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember, Professor Whitty said.
If the virus continues on this trajectory, hospitals will be in real difficulties, and soon.
Staff-to-patient ratios – already stretched – will become unacceptable even in intensive care.
He added that it would still take some weeks before vaccinations start to reduce the number of people being taken to hospital, with the number of patients with Covid-19 in hospitals currently at a record high in England.
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 09:04
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Hello and welcome to The Independents live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic today.
Conrad Duncan10 January 2021 08:54
