UK faces ‘dangerous situation’ as new Covid cases surge
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine approval raises hopes of beating pandemic but questions remain on speed of rollout
The UK is in a “very dangerous situation” in its battle against coronavirus, facing a “grim and depressing picture” of rising infections and deaths as millions more were placed under the tightest tier of restrictions.
The bleak picture painted on Wednesday by Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, followed news of the regulatory approval of the Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford university and AstraZeneca, which has raised hopes that the virus could be defeated.
But that optimism faded as the UK recorded 981 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest daily figure since April. Infection rates soared to 50,023 new cases.
The alarming surge in deaths spurred new measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The return of secondary schools after the Christmas break has been delayed as ministers announced that by Thursday almost four-fifths of England would be living under the toughest tier 4 restrictions. Mr Johnson warned that the measures could last until April.
The rapid spread of the new, more virulent variant of coronavirus contrasted with the regulatory approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, described by ministers as a “game changer”.
The UK has purchased enough doses of the vaccine to inoculate the whole adult population. The first injections will be given on Monday, ahead of a significant increase in the number of jabs delivered.
But questions were raised about the government’s ability to deploy the vaccine fast enough to outpace the spreading virus after health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that 530,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine would be ready for use by Monday — far below the 4m promised by the end of the year by the vaccines task force.
AstraZeneca said the doses were ready for distribution but added that each batch had to be individually checked for safety and quality, dictating the pace at which they could be released.
Whitehall officials added that the entire 4m Oxford/AstraZeneca doses, and possibly more, would be available next month, along with fresh consignments of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine.
The programme will also gather speed in February as more vaccination centres come on stream and additional doses arrive, safeguarding the target of vaccinating all over-50s and the most seriously ill in younger age groups by the end of March. One person close to the vaccination programme said: “The rollout will be ramping up very quickly.”
The government intends to have protected all of the vulnerable adult population by the spring.
Mr Johnson said: “We are still in the tunnel of this pandemic. The light, however, is not merely visible, thanks to an extraordinary feat of British engineering, if you like. The tunnel has been shortened.”
But his government was forced to announce that significant chunks of England would move into the highest tier of restrictions, meaning non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants will have to close, as well as gyms and leisure centres.
Secondary schools will now be reopened on January 11 for those sitting exams next year, while other pupils will have to study at home until January 18. All schools in the areas where Covid-19 is most prevalent will be closed to most students until the same date.
In total, 44m people — 78 per cent of England’s population — will be in tier 4 from Thursday. Areas that will be put under greater curbs include North East England, Greater Manchester, Nottingham, Somerset and Cumbria. Most of the West and East Midlands will also be under the top restrictions.
The Liverpool city region, Cornwall, Devon, York and North Yorkshire will move into tier 3 from midnight, where non-essential shops can remain open but indoor socialising is forbidden. A total of 12m people will be under tier 3 restrictions.
Nowhere in England will be in tier 2 after the government’s latest assessment of the coronavirus data. Only the Isles of Scilly, 25 miles off the Cornish coast, will be in the lowest tier.
Prof Van-Tam warned that the impact of the partial relaxation of social rules for Christmas had yet to filter through to the health service, with a further rise in infections and deaths likely. He urged people to stay at home during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I know new year is coming up, I know it’s normally a time of great festivity, but you have just got to play your part now in bringing us back from this very dangerous situation,” he said.