A second wave of coronavirus could be more severe than the first if it arrives in winter, the UK's chief medical officer has warned.
Professor Chris Whitty said it is likely the virus will spread faster during colder months which would be "worse" for the NHS than it is now.
He explained that respiratory illnesses normally have a "seasonal element" which means there is higher risk of transmission, Wales Online reports.
"There may be a seasonal element to this, we don’t know, it’s too early with this virus,” Prof. Whitty said.
He added: “It’s not just in Game Of Thrones that winter is always coming – it is also true in every health service.
“It may be that there’s a seasonal element and if so, for most respiratory viruses, they are more likely to be transmitted, there is a higher likelihood of transmission, in the winter.
“The winter is always worse than summer, spring and autumn for health services, and we need to think about this in terms of how we come out for the next phase.”
He explained that every country seeking to ease lockdown measures now must negotiate an “extremely difficult balancing act” to keep the pandemic under control.
However, he added social distancing measures are likely to reduce rates of flu and other respiratory illnesses when winter arrives.
Key things experts still don't know about Covid-19
Prof Whitty said there are still several things which we don't know about the virus, which are:
- The proportion of the population which is infected without symptoms, although it is currently thought to be “actually quite low”.
- How long immunity to the virus lasts.
- Whether blood tests correlate with immunity.
- How much children contribute to spreading the virus.
- Why people deteriorate after a week and why men are significantly more likely to die than women.
A total of 1,475 people have now died from coronavirus in Scotland, an increase of 60 since Wednesday.
Writing exclusively in the Daily Record on Friday Sturgeon said she wants to start a grown-up conversation about how to lift the lockdown in Scotland.
She wrote: "I am seeking to start a grown-up conversation with the public about the complex decisions that lie ahead of us as we consider life after lockdown."
Boris Johnson has now said the UK is past the peak of the outbreak.
The Prime Minister added that the Government will reveal its lockdown exit plan next week.
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