Chief medics warn second wave has now started in the UK

On Friday the chief medical officers of all four UK nations released a statement warning “we are seeing the start of a second wave.”

The chief medical officers are asking people across the UK to follow the rules for our “safety.”

They warned in a joint statement, “Cases are rising rapidly and we must take action to stop an exponential increase that could overwhelm our health services and aim to bring R back below one while minimising the impact on the economy and society.”

The R rate is the average number of people someone with coronavirus infects.

In order to loosen restrictions across England, government Ministers said it needs to be below 1, but they warn the R rate is currently between 1.1 and 1.4.

The four UK chief medical officers added, “We ask that everybody endeavours to adhere to the rules and advice designed for our safety, as this is the only way to keep the virus suppressed, and make further progress on the path back to normality.

“Failing to do so will put everyone else at risk.”