COVID measures might need to be tightened as deaths rise in England: official

FILE PHOTO: People walk on the street in a village which is divided by a river from some 40 cottages on the north side where higher restrictions due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak are in place, in Staithes, Britain October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Lee Smith

COVID measures in England might need to be tightened and deaths are likely to increase as a second wave of coronavirus infections in England picks up pace, deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said on Tuesday.

"We're running now with the brakes partially on and the 'R' (reproduction) is 1.3 to 1.5 ... so we can't take the brake off on this and we may have to push on the pedal a little harder to get it back under control," Van Tam said at a news conference

"Do I expect the trend in deaths to continue upwards? Yes. Unfortunately I do."

(Reporting by Andy Bruce and Stephen Addison, writing by Alistair Smout; editing by William James)