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The UK is in a “very dangerous situation” in its battle against the coronavirus, facing a “bleak and depressing outlook” of rising infections and deaths as millions more were placed on the strictest level of restrictions.
The grim picture painted on Wednesday by Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, followed regulatory approval of the Covid vaccine from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, which has raised hopes that the virus could eventually be defeated.
But that optimism faded when 981 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded, the highest daily figure to date for the UK. Infection rates skyrocketed to 50,023 new Covid-19 cases.
The alarming increase in deaths, the highest daily figure to date for the UK since the start of the pandemic, spurred new measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The return of secondary schools after the Christmas holidays has been delayed as ministers announced that by Thursday almost four-fifths of England would be living under the strictest Level 4 restrictions. Johnson warned they could last until April.
The rapid spread of the new, more virulent variant of the coronavirus was in contrast to the regulatory approval of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, described by ministers as a “game changer.”
The UK has purchased enough doses of the vaccine to inoculate the entire adult population. The first injections will be administered on Monday, before a significant increase in the level of strokes administered.
But doubts arose about the government’s ability to deploy the vaccine quickly enough to overcome the spread of the virus after Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that 530,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine would be ready for use on Monday, well below the 4 million promised by the end of the year by the vaccine working group.
AstraZeneca said the doses were ready for distribution, but added that each batch had to be individually verified for safety and quality, dictating the rate at which they could be released.
Whitehall officials added that Oxford / AstraZeneca’s full 4 million doses, and possibly more, would be available next month, along with new shipments of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine.
The program would also accelerate in February as more vaccination centers came online and additional doses arrived, safeguarding its goal of vaccinating all those over 50 and the most seriously ill in the younger age groups, by the end of March. A person close to the vaccination program said: “The implementation will increase very quickly.”
The government intends to have protected the entire vulnerable adult population by spring.
Johnson said: “We are still in the tunnel of this pandemic. However, the light is not simply visible, thanks to an extraordinary feat of British engineering, if you will. The tunnel has been shortened. “
But his government was forced to announce that a large part of England would move to the highest level of restrictions, meaning that nonessential shops, pubs and restaurants must close, as well as gyms and leisure centers.
High schools will now reopen on January 11 for those taking the exams next year, while other students will have to study at home until January 18. All schools in the areas where Covid-19 is most prevalent will be closed for most students until the same date.
In all, 44 million people, 78 percent of England’s population, will be at Level 4 as of Thursday. Areas that will see the most restrictions include Northeast England, Greater Manchester, Nottingham, Somerset and Cumbria. Most of the West and East Midlands will also be under the most important restrictions.
The Liverpool, Cornwall, Devon, York and North Yorkshire City Region will move to Level 3 starting at midnight, where nonessential shops can remain open but indoor socializing is prohibited. A total of 12 million people will be in level 3 restrictions.
Nowhere in England will it be at Level 2 after the latest government assessment of coronavirus data. Only the Isles of Scilly, 40 kilometers off the coast of Cornwall, will be at the lowest level.
Professor Van-Tam cautioned that the impact of the partial relaxation of social rules for Christmas had not yet seeped into the health service, with a further increase in infections and deaths likely. He urged people to stay home during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I know the New Year is coming, I know it is normally a time of great festivity, but now you have to do your part to bring us back from this dangerous situation,” he said.
