Chris Whitty Says Hospital Covid Cases Could Match April Peak By The New Year

England was tipped off for a New Year’s close last night amid warnings that the mutant strain Covid has spread across the country.

Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said measures were likely “to be increased” in areas outside London and the South East, which are at the new Level Four blockade style.

The Mail understands that Medical Director Chris Whitty has warned the Prime Minister that the number of patients hospitalized with Covid is on track to match April’s peak on New Year’s Eve, and will continue to rise in January.

Downing Street tried yesterday to downplay suggestions that a third national shutdown was imminent, but Sir Patrick said the new strain, which is believed to spread up to 70% more easily, was already present “across the country.” .

Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance and Medical Director Chris Whitty speak at a press conference in Downing Street as the Prime Minister announces the new Level Four restrictions

He added: “It’s localized in some places, but we know that there are cases everywhere, so it’s not like we can prevent this from reaching other places.”

It came as:

• Public health chiefs for Greater Manchester and the Midlands told visitors from London and the South East to isolate themselves for ten days, even if it meant spending Christmas Day alone;

• The ministers tried to revoke the French ban on truck entry from the UK, but Emmanuel Macron was said to require virus testing of all truck drivers arriving in France;

• Downing Street urged shoppers not to panic and buy food after Sainsbury’s warned that fresh vegetable supplies could be affected by the disruption of the Canal crossing;

• More than 40 countries banned flights from Great Britain in response to the emergence of the new Covid strain;

• The pound slipped and more than £ 40 billion was wiped from share prices as investors panicked at the prospect of a dual crisis involving Covid and Brexit;

• The scientists suggested that children could be more easily infected with the new strain;

• Downing Street said there would be no further changes to the Christmas arrangements;

• Conservative MPs stepped up demands for a repeal of Parliament to debate the Covid crisis;

• Train and coach travelers were offered refunds if they were forced to cancel the trip due to U-turn in Christmas rules;

• The prime minister confirmed that 500,000 people in the UK have received the first injection of the Covid vaccine;

• College students were told they can travel home at Christmas, even if it means leaving a Level Four area.

A senior conservative said Boris Johnson had decided not to order another national shutdown over the weekend only after whip boss Mark Spencer warned it would spark a riot among Tory MPs.

Boris Johnson acknowledged yesterday that significant restrictions are likely to remain in place for months.

Official figures showed yesterday that another 33,364 people tested positive for the disease, and more than 2,000 were admitted to the hospital in a single day.

The prime minister acknowledged yesterday that significant restrictions are likely to remain in place for months, but insisted it would be a “very different world” at Easter.

However, he refused to guarantee that all students would be back in class by the delayed start of January 11, saying only that it would be done “if possible.”

Yesterday, a government adviser said it was a mistake to “panic” over the new strain.

Professor Robert Dingwall, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group, who advised No. 10 on the variant, said: “ Many of us were surprised to see a document expressing ‘moderate confidence’ morph into the course of 24 hours in a national panic.

He told LBC Radio that it was “very difficult to see the logic” for putting London and the South East under Level Four, as the new strain was “frankly all over the UK anyway”.

Downing Street insisted yesterday that there were no plans to move more areas to Level Four before the next formal review date on December 30.

But sources said the prime minister was “deeply concerned” by the extraordinary speed at which the virus has responded after the latest lockdown, which ended less than three weeks ago.

Public health officials in the Midlands and the North yesterday urged Southerners not to risk spreading the virus to their regions by Christmas.

England had been alerted for a New Year’s close, as parts of the county saw an increase in the number of cases.

Jeanelle de Gruchy, director of public health in Tameside, Greater Manchester, said travelers must isolate themselves for at least ten days to prevent a “serious situation” from developing.

She added: ‘Other people in the house do not need to isolate themselves, but no visitors should be allowed in that house at all, even on Christmas Day.’

Government officials confirmed that the warning has no legal force.

Yesterday, scientists said the new strain appeared to spread more easily among children, raising new concerns about the government’s ability to keep schools open in critical areas.

And yesterday Johnson raised questions for the first time about whether all schools will remain open.

When asked directly if the children would return to the classroom on time, he said: ‘The most helpful thing I can tell you at this stage is that we obviously want, if possible, for schools to go back to schools in a staggered fashion at the beginning of January. .