Latest
'DON'T WRECK THIS NOW'
Jonathan Van-Tam warns Brits not to ‘relax’ on eve of sunny weekend
JONATHAN VAN-Tam has warned people to not "relax" their attitude towards Covid rules as Brits are set for a weekend of sunshine.
England's deputy chief medical officer told people "don't wreck this now" as he warned there were "some worrying signs that people are relaxing" in the coronavirus battle at "exactly the wrong time."
🦠 Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates...
14
14
14
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam alerted people who have already been vaccinated to the dangers of "taking their foot off the brake" and being tempted to break Covid rules.
He told a Downing Street briefing on Friday, before the warmest weekend of the year: "All the patients that I vaccinate... I say to them, 'Remember, all the rules still apply to you and all of us until we're in a much safer place'.
"It doesn't change because you've had your first dose of vaccine.
"And so, please don't be tempted to think, 'Well, one home visit might be all right now the weather is getting better, going to be a nice weekend, one small gathering in your house won't really matter'.
"So my key message tonight is look, this is all going very well but there are some worrying signs that people are relaxing, taking their foot off the brake at exactly the wrong time."
Prof Van-Tam said his inbox had been ";besieged" recently with people asking "can I go and see my grandchildren and do X, Y and Z?"
He said: "The answer to that is no.
"We are not yet collectively, as a country, in the right place."
He compared the situation to a football match, adding: "It is a bit like being 3-0 up in a game and thinking, 'We can't possibly lose this now' - but how many times have we seen the other side take it 4-3?
'DON'T WRECK THIS NOW'
"Do not wreck this now. It is too early to relax. Just continue to maintain discipline and hang on just a few more months.
"Much as it is encouraging and much as I am upbeat about vaccines and how they are going to change how we live and what the disease is like between now and the summer, there is a long way to go."
Matt Hancock tonight also warned that the fight against coronavirus "isn't over yet" but announced a third of Brits have now received a vaccine.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, the Health Secretary said cases have risen in a fifth of local council areas over the past week.
Mr Hancock said: "The data show we are moving in the right direction. The number of cases is now down to one in every 145 people and the rate of decline is continuing.
"The link from cases to hospitalisations and deaths, which has had a grim inevitability throughout 2020, is now breaking thanks to the vaccination programme."
But he also warned: "The number of cases is now falling by only 15% a week. In some areas of the country that has flattened entirely and one in five local authority areas has seen a rise in cases in the last week.
"This stark picture shows that this isn’t over yet. The stay at home rules are still in place for a reason.
"Every action you take every time you put your mask on every time you stay at home you are playing your part. This is on all of us to keep this under control."
It comes as...
- Health chiefs insisted primary school children shouldn't be told to wear masks in the classroom
- It emerged No 10 is looking at plans to get music festivals up and running again
- Boris Johnson said workers will want to rush back to the office again within months
- Mr Hancock warned regions with Covid outbreaks face being put into lightning lockdowns
Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said cases rates in some parts of the country are going "in the wrong direction".
He said: "This is not a good sign and reinforces the fact I’m afraid this battle at the moment is not won."
And he warned the country may not be able to unlock as planned if people don't stick to the lockdown.
14
14
14
14
He said: "I do worry that people think it’s all over. The more they think that when it’s not, the greater the headwind they’re going to give to the vaccine programme and the more at risk will become the milestones set on the roadmap.
"It’s just a collective effort. It’s actually up to us whether we can hold our nerve and see this through properly until the end of the roadmap or whether we’re going to fall at the last furlough."
Mr Hancock announced that 19 million people have now had at least one jab, which is 35% of adults across the UK.
And he praised The Sun's hugely successful Jabs Army campaign - saying there will be a big role for its volunteers in the future.
The Health Secretary said: "The Jabs Army marches on and they’re doing an amazing job in helping everybody to get the vaccines
"We are looking at a system of NHS reserves, people who are committed to supporting the NHS through voluntary action who have the training and are on a specific reserves programme.
"That’s exactly the sort of thing the Jabs Army might be called upon to do in the future in a broader sense, because we’ve just seen the unbelievable support volunteers can give to the NHS when there’s a big job to do."
It comes after scientific advisers confirmed earlier that the next phase of Britain's Covid vaccine rollout will continue to be prioritised by age.
Britain is currently on target to give all Brits over-50s at least one dose of the vaccine by April 15.
People aged between 40 and 49 will be next in line for the jab, followed by the 30-39s age group and then all those 18 to 29, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced this morning.
There had been calls for professions such as police officers and teachers to be given the Covid vaccine jab next.
JAB ORDER
But the JCVI said continuing to prioritise by age would "provide the greatest benefit in the shortest time".
And it said that prioritising certain professions would have been more complex to deliver and could slow down the vaccine rollout,
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for the JCVI, said: "The current strategy is to prioritise those who are more likely to have severe outcomes and die from Covid-19.
"The evidence is clear that the risk of hospitalisation and death increases with age."
So far, more than 18.6 million Brits have received their first dose of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab or the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
And 700,718 people in the UK have had their second dose as well.
On Monday, Boris Johnson pledged that all the UK's 54 million adults would be offered a jab by July 31.
14
At a press conference, the PM insisted the "extraordinary success" of the vaccines program would throw a "shield" round the entire population.
Boris vowed: "There is light ahead, leading us to a spring and the summer, which I think will be seasons of hope, looking and feeling incomparably better for us all and from which we will not go back."
It comes as The Queen last night urged Brits to get their jabs and said: “It didn’t hurt at all.”
The 94-year-old monarch, given her injection seven weeks ago and wearing a brooch in tribute to ill husband Philip, told a video call that Covid was a “plague”.
The number of Brits jabbed is 28 per cent of the population, the third highest in the world behind Israel and the UAE.
Yesterday, the numbers who have had at least one dose rose by 448,962 after a slump for several days this week.
Last week, the vaccine roll out moved onto the next phase, with over-65s and younger people with underlying health conditions in England being offered the jab.
The success of Britain's vaccine rollout helped drive the government's roadmap out of lockdown, with all restrictions set to end on June 21.
14
14
14
Data has suggested that the vaccine rollout is moving at such pace, all over 50s could have their first dose by the end of March.
David Salisbury, former Director of Immunisation for the government, told the BBC today that prioritising Brits in order of age was the fastest way to vaccinate the country.
He told Radio 4's Today programme: "I'd hate to think vaccine gets wasted because there are not people to match every dose.
"The logical prioritisation is to use age which is so much more demonstrable than saying 'my job is this or my job is that.
"So whilst I do have a view that some occupations may justify some prioritisation, logistically the straightforward way to do it is through an age-based approach."
14
14
14
Before the new deadline of April 15 there are nine priority groups that will need to be vaccinated, including clinically extremely vulnerable people.
A BMI of 40 or above and severe asthma now makes patients eligible for a vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had already said people with severe and profound learning disabilities are part of group six - all adults aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions.
It meant adults with less severe learning disabilities are not currently prioritised.
The certificates will enable people to travel in Europe despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Most read in News
NHS England said on February 21 that over two thirds of people aged between 65 and 69 have now had their first dose.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Invitations are now being sent to those aged 64 years old.
At least ten areas of England are speeding ahead to vaccinate all over 50s by March 7, figures suggest.
Queen says her Covid vaccine was painless and urges people to 'think about others'
Topics