Covid restrictions : Boris Johnson quizzed on wearing facemasks

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The Chancellor said that the Government’s programme of booster vaccines would prevent another lockdown from occurring and would remain a “first line of defence”. It comes as health experts and NHS leaders are saying that the health service could come under intense pressure as the country moves into the winter period.

On Friday, those hospitalised with coronavirus breached 1,000 for the first time in six weeks.

In an interview with the Times, Mr Sunak said “we’re just in a very different place to where we were a year ago because of the vaccine.

“There’s this enormous wave of protection, and that changes things. That’s our first line of defence.”

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said on Wednesday: “Despite the success of the vaccination programme, more cases and hospitalisations will eventually lead to more deaths.

“The message from health leaders is clear – it is better to act now, rather than regret it later.”

Meanwhile, Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, told MPs on Wednesday: “We need to recognise we are in for a difficult winter. We do have 5,900 people with Covid in our beds at the moment and that number is going up.”

The latest estimates indicate that the vaccination programme has directly averted over 230,800 hospitalisations, the Government said.

Mr Sunak conceded the winter would be “challenging”, but denied that it would require a further, fourth lockdown.

He said: “There’s a range of options that are available, and those are not options that involve lockdowns or very significant economic restrictions.”

On Friday, Boris Johnson also said another lockdown was not planned, adding the current numbers were “fully in line” with what had been anticipated.

The Prime Minister added: “We see absolutely nothing to indicate that [another lockdown] is on the cards at all.”

SAGE scientists have also indicated that it was “highly unlikely” that the NHS would be overwhelmed this winter, even without any of the various restrictions the Government has planned for.

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In recent documents, the scientific committee that advises the Government on the pandemic said that there was evidence the peak of the third wave of hospitalisation “has already happened”.

But it warned that the Government’s “Plan B” for the winter must be deployed “rapidly” should it be needed if the epidemic were to deviate from the “optimistic” modelling they had conducted.

Under the Government’s contingency plan, face masks would be made compulsory again in some settings, and those able to would be asked to work from home again.

Vaccine passports could be introduced for some venues.

The Government has also denied that there is a “Plan C” of even tougher restrictions should the pandemic worsen significantly over the winter.

Cases of Covid-19, hospitalisations and deaths as a result of the virus have been slowly rising since the start of October, after falling in September.

There are currently over 8,000 patients hospitalised with the virus in the UK. In the January peak, that number tipped over 39,000.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has also demurred from implementing a fourth lockdown over the winter.

He said the best way to protect one another and the NHS was to get vaccinated.

Mr Javid added: “If we want to secure these freedoms for the long term, then the best thing we can do is come forward once again when that moment comes.”

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