Professor warns that covid situation ‘can go wrong again’

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The first UK lockdown started in March 2020 and now 15 months later some restrictions remain. Covid cases have varied over the course of the last year, but now cases finally appear to be at manageable levels, lockdown measures have started to ease in England.

What are Covid cases like in the UK?

On April 22, the UK recorded 2,729 new coronavirus cases and 17,296 cases over the last seven days – a drop of 7.4 percent week on week.

As of April 22, there were 18 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

Over the last seven days, 156 people died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test – a decrease of 26.1 percent week on week.

As of April 18, 1,191 people were admitted to hospital over the previous seven days – a drop of 19.7 percent based on the previous seven days.

The decrease in coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths is believed to be in part due to the successful vaccine rollout programme in the UK.

Up to April 21, more than 33 million people have received their first Covid vaccine dose in the UK.

More than 11 million people have also received their second vaccine dose.

By April 21, this means 63.1 percent of people aged 18 and over in the UK have received their first vaccine dose.

More than one-fifth of people (21.2 percent) have also received their second vaccine dose too.

The vaccine rollout programme will continue until all adults in the UK have been offered their Covid vaccines.

The Government is aiming to offer all adults their first vaccine dose by the end of July 2021.

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Are we still in a pandemic?

Today a medical expert warned COVID-19 is “not going to go away” and will be constantly present in society.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, medical researcher and director of the Welcome Trust, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is an endemic human infection now.

“It’s not going to go away. Humanity will have to live with this.”

Sir Jeremy said the UK has the tools to check and keep the virus controlled, but the virus will need to be monitored globally too in the future.

He added: “Otherwise in a virus that is still evolving and adapting to humanity, new variants will come, which may take us back to some point in 2020 if they escape vaccines and treatments.”

Although cases are dropping in the UK, the coronavirus pandemic continues around the world.

India has just been added to the UK travel red list as cases in the region have rocketed in recent weeks.

A new Covid variant, B.1.617, is believed to be contributing to the sharp rise in Covid cases in India.

The variant is causing concern for experts, as it is believed to have a “double mutation” in the spike protein which may mean the virus infects cells and evades the immune system.

In the week leading up to April 21, Public Health England said a further 55 cases of the variant have been found in the UK.

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