‘Herd immunity could beat virus’
THE UK’s chief scientific adviser said it is hoped the Government’s approach to tackling coronavirus will create a “herd immunity” to the disease.
Sir Patrick Vallance said some of the social distancing measures put in place by the Government, including self-isolating for seven days if symptoms develop, are “actually quite extreme”.
His comments come after former health secretary Jeremy Hunt questioned the Government’s decision not to cancel large gatherings after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned many more families would “lose loved ones before their time”.
Sir Patrick said that the advice the Government is following is not looking to “suppress” the disease entirely but to help create a “herd immunity in the UK” while protecting the most vulnerable from it.
Asked if there is a fear that clamping down too hard on its spread could see it return, Sir Patrick said: “That is exactly the risk you would expect from previous epidemics. If you suppress something very, very hard, when you release those measures it bounces back, and it bounces back at the wrong time.
“Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission, at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable to it.”
A total of 798 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am yesterday, up from 590 at the same point on Thursday
Meanwhile, the May 7 local elections have been postponed for one year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Football Association announced the Premier League will be suspended until April 4 All matches in Uefa competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League, will not take place next week, while England’s cricket tour of Sri Lanka has been called off.
The Government said it would not move to close schools yet, as the evidence for its effectiveness is lacking, though this will be kept under review.
Sir Patrick said school closures now would see educational establishments shut down for “many months”.
Between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the UK are thought to be infected with Covid19 already. People with even mild coronavirus symptoms, including a continuous cough or high temperature, must stay at home for at least seven days.
School trips abroad should be stopped, people over 70 with serious medical conditions are being told not to go on cruises, and officials warned the advice is likely to develop so that entire households could be told to self-isolate.
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the peak of the outbreak is most likely still 10 to 14 weeks away.