Spiralling coronavirus infections show a third wave is under way, the Government's former top scientist warned today amid fresh fears 'Freedom Day' could be delayed.
Ministers, experts and advisers will this week begin examining crucial data which will decide whether step four of the unlocking “roadmap” can be triggered on June 21, removing all remaining legal restrictions.
Boris Johnson is due to make an announcement next Monday.
But the Prime Minister was warned the Indian variant, also known as the delta variant, could scupper the relaxations plan.
Sir David King, who was Chief Scientific Adviser from 2000 to 2007 and who chairs the Independent Sage Group, told Sky News: "(There are) 5,300 new cases of the disease per day in the United Kingdom and we're up about 2,000 on last week.
"Now, we've been discussing whether or not we're going into a serious third wave and I don't think we can possibly wait any longer.
"This is the evidence of another wave appearing."
Scientists are split over the scale of England's rising case rates as school pupils return from their half term break today.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday warned the government was prepared to delay the June 21 unlocking if necessary.
Advice on face masks, social distancing and working from home could remain after June 21 even if other easings go ahead, it is reported today.
And Health Minister Lord Bethell indicated twice-a-week testing for school pupils will last until at least the summer holidays, possibly longer.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said making the tests part of an “everyday routine” can “underpin the reopening of other things we all love.”
He added: “Fifty million tests have got us here; here's to 50 million more. Let's not lose what's been achieved so far.”
Some 33,496 people have tested positive for Covid in the UK in the latest seven days - up 49% in a week.
But the number of patients admitted to hospital was 869, down 0.3% on the week before.
Solicitor General Lucy Frazer told LBC: "What we know at the moment is that the infection rate is rising, but that’s not seeping out in hospitalisations at the rate that it did in the other lockdowns.
"So we are seeing a flat lining of hospitalisations and the reason for that is, the reason you were identifying earlier on your programme, that the vaccination programme has been so successful."
About 400 daily infections are among people who have had both vaccines, Sir David said.
“We know that anyone vaccinated twice is relatively safe against the virus.
"But let's not forget the one in 25 new cases are people who have been vaccinated twice – that means 400 new cases a day are people who had the vaccine twice.
"While there is an extensive amount of virus out there in the country, amongst our people, it is dangerous."
He continued: "Dying isn't the sole issue about that we're trying to avoid here.
"The number of people who are suffering from Long Covid in the country is enormous and this is not a simply a flu, once you've had the vaccine."
He urged the Government to "quickly" start jabbing kids. "The Pfizer vaccine has already been given the green light in this country to over 12-year-olds. I think we should run that programme forward quickly,” he added.
