The UK’s top scientist Professor Peter Horby has warned that a second national lockdown is possible as the country has now reached a “precarious point.”
The number of people in hospital with the virus has now increased across every parts of England on Saturday, and a further 15,166 people had tested positive, with 81 more deaths.
Professor Horby who is the chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) said the “critical mission” is to now protect the NHS.
He warned that hospitals in the North of England are under pressure and intensive care beds will soon run out.
The NHS are on the brink of cancelling all non-essential services, which happened when the UK went to its first national lockdown on 23 March.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme on Sunday that Brits will have to accept more stringent measures to bring down the spiralling cases.
Marr asked is the UK is facing a second national lockdown, Professor Horby said, “I think that’s a possibility and we have to do what we can to avoid that at all costs.”
He added, “We are already seeing in some parts of the North that some hospitals are starting to see the pressure.
“We have a doubling time of about eight to 15 days so it is not long before those ICU (intensive care unit) beds could be full and we could be in a really difficult situation.
“So I am afraid we are going to have to make some very difficult choices and act very quickly.”
He continued, “We really need to provide care to everybody – those with Covid and those without. “The way to do that is to keep the numbers down.”
Housing Minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News Sophy Ridge “None of us want to see a return to blanket national measures.”
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