No more lockdowns! Professor Ferguson believes Covid measures ‘unlikely’ as cases fall
LOCKDOWNS in the UK are "unlikely" to be implemented going forward, according to leading scientists.
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Professor Neil Ferguson, a British epidemiologist from Imperial College London, believes the days of forced lockdowns have probably passed amid falling case numbers. Speaking to the Times, Professor Ferguson said that, although lockdowns could not be ruled out, draconian style crisis measures would be “unlikely”.
“I think it’s unlikely we will need a new lockdown or even social distancing measures of the type we’ve had so far,” he said.
Professor Ferguson, whose modelling informed the first national lockdown in March 2020, said the epidemic is “going to transition quite quickly in a few months to be more something we live with and manage through vaccination rather than crisis measures.”
The comments follow a clear drop in cases outside of lockdown measures, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Experts have predicted cases are likely to rise again in September as schools return and workers return to the office.
However, there is hope the rise in cases can be managed without returning to lockdown measures.
Professor John Edmunds, a member of SAGE from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is one academic who believes the next few months can be managed without restrictions.
“I suspect we won’t have to [impose any more lockdowns]”, he said.
“The pinch point has always been pressure on the NHS and though it will be awkward for the NHS, so there will be pressure, I very much doubt they won’t be able to cope.”
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Covid cases have declined significantly from over 50,000 confirmed daily in mid-July to under 30,000 as of data compiled on August 5.
Covid related deaths have remained low over the summer period but have recently seen a small rise - climbing to over 100 per day on August 3.
The comments come just days after the news 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to receive a Covid jab.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid accepted the JCVI recommendation on vaccinating the age group and has asked the NHS to prepare “as soon as possible”.
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He said in a statement: “Today’s advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) means more young people aged 16 and over can benefit from Covid-19 vaccines.
“I have accepted their expert recommendations and I have asked the NHS to prepare to vaccinate those eligible as soon as possible.
“The JCVI have not recommended vaccinating under-16s without underlying health conditions but will keep its position under review based on the latest data.”