Sage member Professor John Edmunds has said that “really major additional measures” are immediately needed to control the spread of coronavirus, with school closures being the “biggest lever” available.
But he believes the total death count come the end of the pandemic could be in the six figures.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine scientist told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “I think total numbers of deaths will be unfortunately measured now in those sorts of numbers, 100,000 or more.”
Prof Edmunds said that “really major additional measures” are immediately needed to control the spread of coronavirus, with school closures being the “biggest lever” available.
“We’re in a really difficult situation," he said.
“The new strain is significantly more transmissible than the old strains. So we have to take significant extra measures to stop the NHS from becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients.
“Unfortunately we are going to have to take some really major additional measures, I can’t see any other way out of it.
“The biggest lever that has only partly been pulled is school closures. That would have the biggest effect of a single measure and I can see that happening.”
He later added: “What we have to do now, and it’s horrible I know, but we have to take really quite stringent steps right now and as stringent as we can right now.”
Prof Edmunds rejected suggestions that a lack of public compliance with restrictions is a major issue, saying: “I don’t think that’s a major issue myself, I think people are pretty compliant.”
