Drop In Covid-19  levels Suggests Effectiveness Of Lockdown

Drop In Covid-19 levels Suggests Effectiveness Of Lockdown

By Ben Kerrigan-

A drop in the levels of Covid are going down in all nations of the UK, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

The data suggests lockdown is controlling the virus, despite the more infectious variants circulating – although the health secretary said there is “still a long way to go”.

The latest R number, estimated to be between 0.7 and 0.9, also suggests infection numbers are shrinking, the first time since July that R has been this low.

It means, on average, every 10 people infected pass it on to between seven and nine other people.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the ONS figures were “clearly good news”, but pointed out there were still more than 24,000 people in hospital with Covid.

He said: “Everyone can have confidence that the plan is working, that what we’re collectively doing is having a positive impact but there’s still a long way to go.”

Government scientists have cautioned a gradual lockdown , but say unlocking the UK too soon  would risk another surge of the virus, even though more people are being vaccinated against the disease every day.

It remains unclear when hospital numbers will go down, but some Conservative Mps have suggested using hospital numbers as a measure for deciding when to ease the lockdown. Easing lockdown is also not as straightforward as may seem, it is likely to occur in stages.

The PM’s official spokesman echoed the prime minister’s commitment to a gradual phased approach, to be announced from February 22.

A statement from Downing Street read: “The latest data and evidence clearly shows that we remain in a difficult situation with the pressure on the NHS still very significant.

“We will set out a gradual and phased approach towards easing the restrictions in a sustainable way.”

The ONS’s data is slightly out of date – covering the week up to 6 February – so may not reflect the situation right now.

Senior Statistician Sarah Crofts said: “Rates of infection remain high but have continued to decrease in England and across the UK.

“The percentage of positive cases compatible with the new UK variant also continues to decrease in all regions of England except for Yorkshire and The Humber, the East Midlands and the South West where trends remain uncertain.”

 

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