Party-loving youngsters told: You are not immune and you’re spreading bug
YOUNG people who ignore advice on social distancing are fuelling the coronavirus epidemic, Britain’s health experts warned yesterday.
Plans to slow the spread of infection and help the NHS cope will not be successful if people keep gathering in pubs and restaurants, the Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir PatrickVallance said.
His warning came as England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, revealed we are unlikely to ever get rid of Covid-19.
Sir Patrick said: “Unless everybody looks at the measures on trying to encourage social distancing, unless everybody does that, it doesn’t have the effect.
“The mixing in pubs and restaurant is really part of allowing the disease to spread. It needs to stop amongst young people as well as older people.”
Prof Whitty said: “The great majority of those who end up dying, sadly, are people who tend to be either in the later parts of their lives – usually quite elderly – or with pre-existing health conditions.
“But there are also some young people who have ended up in intensive care or who have ended up with severe disease around the world. It is important we don’t give the impression that every single young healthy person is going to breeze through this.”
Prof Whitty also said the approach must shift from trying to end the pandemic to managing it. He said: “The idea that we are going to put this virus back to going away completely, whilst not theoretically impossible, seems so improbable that basing scientific evidence on a theory... seems to me a mistake.” Meanwhile, the Government has announced £2.9billion funding to support social care for the vulnerable during the crisis.
The money, from the £5billion Covid-19 fund announced by the Chancellor in last week’s budget, will help hospital patients who no longer need urgent treatment to return home.
Some £1.3billion will go to the NHS discharge process, making at least 15,000 more beds available. Councils will also receive £1.6billion to help them respond to other virus pressures.