Covid: UK records highest daily total with 93,045 cases

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The Health Secretary spoke after experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned the number of Covid cases could reach two million a day by the end of December. While Boris Johnson and Cabinet ministers are said to be opposed to new Covid restrictions, Mr Javid hinted more could be introduced should cases rise uncontrollably. 

On Sunday, Mr Javid shared the Government is ready to “do what is necessary” to curb the spread of Covid and Omicron.

However he added calls from SAGE for a return to a restrictions would be “challenged”, and added parliament will be recalled if any new measures are going to be passed.

He added in the Sunday Telegraph, referencing his former career as a trader, the “most important decisions” were taken when data were “early and patchy, but a trend was emerging”.

He said in a grim hint of new Covid restrictions: “Once that trend leads to a clear outcome, it may be too late to react to it.”

SAGE papers released on Thursday have already warned Omicron could see hospital admissions could peak to “at least” 3,000 a day in England without new restrictions.

The experts have said newer measures are needed “very soon” as “hospitalisations in UK will reach high levels in about two weeks even if transmission is reduced soon”.

Advisers said that “if the aim is to reduce the levels of infection in the population and prevent hospitalisations reaching these levels”, “more stringent measures would need to be implemented very soon”.

Delaying new measures until 2022 would, they claimed, “greatly reduce the effectiveness of such interventions”.

SAGE suggested reintroducing measures “equivalent to those in place after step 2 or step 1 of the roadmap in England”, which included only allowing two households to mix at once.

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