The end of Covid lockdown could be brought forward by two weeks following a’genuine overview of the data’, it’s been reported.
The Prime Minister announced earlier this week the end of lockdown will be pushed back before July 19 after the Delta version had spread rapidly.
There’ll be a two-week review of the delay to happen on June 28, and the PM’s official spokesman said if data is”better than anticipated”, restrictions could be eased on Monday 5 July.
But the spokesman said this result was”improbable”.
One of the specialists’ worst case scenarios was that hospitalisations would reach around the summit of the first wave, if there were more than 3,000 new UK patients per day, in contrast to under 200 a day today.
Now, the Daily Mail reports that while ministers believe re-opening on July 19 is still the most likely situation, the two-week review will be a’real review of the information .
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said earlier that throwing open the economy as planned could have meant a “surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS”.
In the worst scenario estimates showed a further 203,824 deaths by next June, with more modest estimates suggesting more than 50,000 would die.
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Bur reports earlier this week claimed that the models were based on ‘out of date’ estimates of vaccine effectiveness, which was said to have assumed fewer people were protected by jabs.
A Cabinet source was reported to have added: “If we get to the end of next week and the data is moving decisively in the right direction, no-one is going to criticise us for changing our minds and opening up a bit early.”
It comes after recent figures revealed the latest Covid hotspots with stark numbers showing nearly 90 per cent of England’s local authorities have seen a weekly rise in infections.
The grim tally, for the seven days to June 12, showed that of the 315 local areas in England 279, representing 89 per cent, saw a rise in case rates.