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New measures to address the rise in coronavirus cases “will take time to materialize,” says Boris Johnson.
The prime minister told a 10th briefing that the UK was at a “critical moment” and that the rising number of cases and deaths shows “why our plan is so essential.”
He said he would “not hesitate” to impose further restrictions if necessary.
Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance said: “We don’t have this under control at the moment.”
“There is no reason for complacency here,” he added.
It comes as the latest coronavirus figures in the UK showed there have been another 7,108 cases and another 71 deaths.
Johnson also said the nation could face winter “with confidence” because it is now better prepared than it was in March.
Preparations include being on track for 500,000 daily tests by the end of October, 2,000 beds in seven Nightingale hospitals and a four-month supply of protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gowns and visors.
He said the number of ventilators on the NHS had tripled to 31,500 in the past six months.
“I want to thank everyone for the fantastic national effort that we are seeing,” Johnson said.
“No matter how impatient we are, how fed up we are, there is only one way to do this, and that is by showing collective tolerance, common sense and a willingness to make sacrifices for the safety of others.”
‘Will the second wave be less severe?’
Now it is clear that the second wave is here. Infections, hospital cases and deaths are increasing.
But what happens next is the big unknown.
The apocalyptic scenario of doubling cases every week that was presented last week is not materializing.
The increase in hospital admissions is even more gradual, and the total number of admissions is more than 10 times less than at the peak.
This time, aim for a slower and less severe wave.
But it is still early.
We are just at the beginning of the fall and winter period when respiratory viruses circulate the most.
The situation could easily fall apart.
However, the UK, like other countries, is in a much stronger position than we were when we blindly entered the first wave.
There are better treatments, social distancing has become routine, and despite the problems, there are many more tests available.
The odds are certainly in our favor more than they were six months ago.
Read the full review
Johnson paid a special tribute to college students, hundreds of whom have been forced into isolation and are “experiencing a first period back to college unlike anything they could have imagined.”
He urged people to use the NHS Test and Trace app, saying it had reached 14 million downloads, and said it would resume regular Downing Street briefings.
The prime minister said it was a “critical moment” in the pandemic and warned that he was prepared to take “more costly” measures against the virus if necessary.
“If we work together now, we give ourselves the best possible chance to avoid that outcome and avoid further action.”
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said at the briefing that the number of Covid-19 patients was increasing, especially at hotspots, although they were still lower than in early April.
“We are pointing out that the direction of travel for both hospitals and intensive care is going in the wrong direction, particularly in these areas that have seen rapid increases in cases,” he said.
“We have a long winter ahead of us.”
Professor Whitty said the pattern of cases was “quite different” in the second wave, with a “large concentration” of infections in areas such as the Midlands, as well as the North East and North West of England, along with the overall increase in Covid – 19.
He said cases are increasing “quite rapidly” among older adolescents and those under 21, but the rate of transmission among school-age children is not changing much.
The government has faced criticism in recent days for the lack of parliamentary scrutiny of its coronavirus measures and the complexity of the changing rules.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said there has to be a “national effort to avoid a second lockdown.”
But he said the government was not fulfilling its role of providing a “very clear strategy”, but was offering “confusion.”
Sir Keir said an “urgent review” of local restrictions was needed, as they have now been imposed in 48 areas and only lifted in one.
