Coronavirus is out of control with cases soaring, rising hospital admissions and more patients in intensive care, the country’s top scientific officer today warned.
Speaking alongside Boris Johnson, Chief Scientific Adviser Sr Patrick Vallance painted a grim picture as the UK tackles a second surge of Covid-19.
He told a Downing Street press briefing: “We don’t have this under control at the moment”, adding: “There is evidence of spread everywhere.”
The UK recorded 7,108 new cases on Wednesday as the death toll hit 42,143, up by 71.
Graphs produced at No10 showed increases across the country, fuelled by dramatic rises in the North West and North East.
Sir Patrick warned: “Numbers of cases are going up, hospitalisations are going, ICU is going up and, unfortunately, very sadly, so are deaths.
“That means this is heading in the wrong direction, there is no cause for complacency here at all.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty braced the country for a “a long winter ahead of us”.
“We are pointing out that the direction of travel for both hospitals and intensive care is going in the wrong direction, particularly in these areas that have seen rapid increases in cases,” said Prof Whitty.
“The small number of deaths now shouldn’t reassure us that we won’t be, in relatively short order, in quite difficult places – certainly in the regions where we are seeing significant growth at the moment, where pressure on the NHS could happen sooner rather than later if we can’t get on top of it really quite fast.”
The Prime Minister said it was a “critical moment” for the nation – amid mounting fears he could order a second national lockdown.
He said: “I have to be clear, that if the evidence requires it, we will not hesitate to take further measures that would, I’m afraid, be more costly than the ones we have put into effect now.
“But if we put in the work together now then we give ourselves the best possible chance of avoiding that outcome and avoiding further measures.
“I know some people will think we should give up and let the virus take its course, despite the huge loss of life that would potentially entail.
“I have to say I profoundly disagree.
“I don’t think that is what the British people want, I don’t think they want to throw in the sponge.
“They want to fight and defeat this virus and that is what we are going to do.”
Some experts have warned only another shutdown, which would further cripple the battered economy, can guarantee driving down new cases.
But the PM said: “I really don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go back to a national lockdown where the overall guidance is stay at home, that is not what we are saying.
“We want to keep the economy moving. We want to keep young people, pupils in education.
“But the only way we can do that is if we all follow the guidance and depress the virus.”
Instead, ministers hope tough local curbs can lower infection rates.
About 17 million people are living under the tightest restrictions, with the rest of the country forced to socialise in groups no bigger than six and pubs and restaurants closing at 10pm.
Merseyside is expected to be the latest region to face tougher curbs, and a decision could come as soon as Thursday.
London is also on a watch list as cases rise.
Labour said local lockdowns were failing to drive down cases. Party leader Keir Starmer said at Prime Minister’s Questions: “When local restrictions were introduced, the Prime Minister described them as a ‘whack-a-mole’ strategy.
“That implies that, at some stage, the mole goes down and that restrictions are lifted.
“But, in fact, in some lockdown areas infection rates are still going up and in towns like Bradford, Bury and Oldham, restrictions have now been in place for months.
“For many of those communities affected things feel like they are getting worse, not better.”
Mr Starmer also tore into the PM over chaos and confusion surrounding what rules apply where.
He hit out after Mr Johnson and a junior Education Minister both gaffed over restrictions in the North East.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey yesterday(WEDS) told MPs people should go back to work – even though the PM last week switched the advice so people should work from home if they can.
Mr Starmer told the Commons: “One of the major problems, as we’ve seen in the last 24 hours, is widespread confusion about the local restrictions and I don’t just mean the Prime Minister not knowing his own rules – having sat opposite the Prime Minister at PMQs every week that didn’t come as a surprise to me.
“Let me quote to him the Conservative council leader in Bolton, a Conservative leader.
“He said this about the Government’s handling of restrictions, ‘It’s breeding resentment, it’s become too complex, too complicated, people feel very let down and very frustrated and very forgotten’.
“If the Prime Minister doesn’t understand the rules and his own council leaders are complaining about mixed messages, how does the Prime Minister expect the rest of the country to understand and follow the rules?”
However, a Cabinet Minister moaned that asking minsters to know the coronavirus rules they imposed on the country was like “a quiz show”.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma accused reporters of “gotcha” journalism for expecting those who make the laws to know what they are.
Asked about regional rules, Mr Sharma told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
“There is an element of slightly ‘gotcha’ about this in terms of this line of questioning.
“You are a flagship programme when it comes to serious news and it is not a quiz show.”
Shadow Health Minister Alex Norris said: “The Prime Minister should understand the rules he is asking huge numbers of people to follow.
“That’s not a gotcha, that’s just basic Government competence.”
