Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Witty gave a grim outlook for the UK in the coming months during press conference on Monday
Sir Patrick warned that if new cases reached that level in mid-October then we could expect 200 deaths per day a month later.
He also warned that Britain is seeing the pandemic double every 7 days while stating the
“The challenge, therefore, is to make sure the doubling time does not stay at seven days. That requires speed, it requires action and it requires enough in order to be able to bring that down.”
The pair said the infection rate could be brought down if everyone follows the rules which are already in place, such as the rule of six but they warned the restrictions could soon be tightened.
Prof Whitty said everyone should follow all restrictions, even if they do not see themselves at risk as that could result in increased infections among the elderly who are most at risk.
“You cannot in an epidemic just take your own risk, unfortunately you’re taking a risk on behalf of everybody else. “So, this is not someone else’s problem, this is all of our problem,”
At the press conference the scientists revealed that just 8% of the UK’s population is thought to have had the virus.
Sir Patrick warned that the vast majority of us are not protected in anyway and are susceptible.
Professor Whitty warned that it is a challenging time ahead of the winter months as they benefit the spread of the virus
His waning came as a further 3,899 daily cases and 18 deaths were reported in the UK on Sunday 20 September.
Matt Hancock suggested new national restrictions could soon be implemented to combat the rise of coronavirus.
The health secretary, speaking to ITV’s This Morning, suggested any new measures would focus on social aspects of life, rather than workplaces and education settings.
“If we do have to take action it will be different from last time. We have learned a huge amount about how to tackle the virus. The really sad thing about this virus is that it thrives on the things that make life worth living.
With many parts of the UK in some form of local lockdown and the infection rate increasing it is unclear what the next steps will be. With the Prime Minister warning on Friday that a second wave is coming but wants to avoid a full UK lockdown.
How severe will the new measures be.
