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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK has passed its peak of Covid-19 cases and is on a “downward slope”.
Johnson was leading his first press conference on Downing Street since he recovered from the coronavirus.
He was speaking as it was confirmed that the death toll in the UK rose from 674 to 26,711.
“At no time has our NHS been overwhelmed, no patient was left without a ventilator, no patient was deprived of intensive care, we have five of Nightingale’s seven planned wards,” he said.
“It is thanks to that massive collective effort to protect the NHS that we avoided an uncontrollable and catastrophic epidemic where the worst reasonable scenario was 500,000 deaths.
“I can confirm today that for the first time we have passed the peak of this disease.”
“We have passed the peak and are on a downward slope.”
Mr. Johnson, whose fiancée Carrie Symonds gave birth to a son yesterday, said, “I want to thank everyone who has been doing such a good job in my absence, and I want to thank the NHS so much, even for bringing me back here. and, I might add, a much happier hospital visit yesterday. “
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Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said at the same briefing that there was a decrease in the number of cases, as well as a decrease in the number of deaths from Covid-19.
He said, “The number of new cases is down, which is turning into less income, fewer people in the hospital, fewer people in intensive care, and we are starting to see that decrease in deaths.”
Johnson acknowledged the “frustrations” of expanding the number of coronavirus tests and the difficulties in obtaining enough personal protective equipment (PPE).
“We are determined urgently and, in particular, to overcome those challenges that have been so bold and so irritating in recent weeks,” he said.
“I am not going to minimize the logistical problems we face in bringing the right protective gear to the right people at the right time, both in the NHS and in nursing homes.
“Or the frustrations we’ve experienced in expanding the number of tests.”
“But what I can say is that all those responsible for addressing these problems, be it in the government or the NHS or Public Health England or in the local authorities, we are throwing everything, heart and soul, day and night, to solve it.” Well, and we will do well, and we are making great progress.
“And I will not underestimate the work and achievements of those who are dealing with global scarcity in a global pandemic: they are facing a challenge that we have never seen in our lives.”
Johnson also presented the latest UK figures on the pandemic:
- Before today’s deadline to perform 100,000 tests a day, 81,611 were performed on Wednesday
- 171,253 people have tested positive overall, an increase of 6,032 since Wednesday
- 15,043 coronavirus patients are in the hospital, down from 15,359
- There have been 26,711 deaths in all settings, an increase from 674 since yesterday.
Johnson said he will propose next week how to boost the economy.
“Until this day comes (when an inoculation is ready), and we cannot say exactly when it will be, we will have to overcome this disease with our growing determination and ingenuity,” the prime minister said.
“Next week I will establish a comprehensive plan to explain how we can get our economy moving, our children going back to school and going to daycare, and third, how we can travel to work and make life in the workplace be safer.
“In short, how can we continue to suppress the disease and at the same time restart the economy.”
He added: “We have reached the top. Or rather, we have reached what could have been a great top.
“As if we were going through a huge alpine tunnel. And now we can see the sunlight and the grass in front of us.”
Johnson defends UK pandemic approach
When asked about international comparisons to the UK’s response to the virus, Johnson said he believes the UK did “the right thing at the right time.”
He said: “I think it was completely correct to make our period of confinement coincide as much as possible with the peak of the epidemic.”
“That peak, as I said a moment ago, has passed. I think speaking generally, and we are learning lessons every day, but I think speaking generally, we did the right thing at the right time.”
England’s medical director Professor Chris Whitty said the infection rate needed to stay below one before the blockade could be safely lifted.
He said: “There is no perfect answer to what the R should be (to lift the block), but we are absolutely certain that the wrong answer is more than just one.”
“Because as soon as R exceeds one, then you restart exponential growth; it can be slow if it is above one, it can be much faster if it goes much higher than one, but exponential growth restarts and, sooner or later – and the higher it is, the sooner it will be – the NHS will return to the risk of being overwhelmed and the number of cases will increase. “
He said “indirect deaths” could increase if the NHS is under pressure because of Covid-19 and cannot treat people with other ailments and illnesses, and said the health service needed “leeway” to continue bringing perform urgent cancer care and surgery.
Nine more Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland
Nine other patients who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland have died, bringing the total number of deaths to 347.
Since yesterday, 73 other people have also tested positive for the virus.
The total number of confirmed cases there now is 3,536.
Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said the spread of Covid-19 so far across the community “has not been as severe as we feared.”
However, in making a statement to the Ad Hoc Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly on the Covid-19 response, Swann cautioned against complacency.
“That does not mean that the warnings were misplaced, but that they were taken seriously and people stayed home,” he said.
“Northern Ireland remains on the edge of a knife”.
The deaths occur when Justice Minister Naomi Long announced that five prison officials in Northern Ireland have tested positive for the virus.
Speaking to the Stormont justice committee, Long said his thoughts are with them and their families.
He added that no prisoner in Northern Ireland has tested positive for the virus.
On the continuation of the blockade, Swann said there are no easy decisions. “The time will come to discuss what comes next and we have to face this together honestly and openly,” he said.
“There will be no easy decisions because we recognize that simply maintaining the current blockade indefinitely could have serious repercussions for the mental and physical well-being of many people.”
“We will all have to weigh our options very carefully, working closely with colleagues on these islands to ensure we make the right decisions at the right time.”
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