Fresh surge of infections inescapable, says Whitty

A THIRD wave of Covid-19 cases is inevitable, England’s chief medical officer has warned.

Prof Chris Whitty pointed out the death rate was falling rapidly amid the speedy rollout of vaccines.

But he told a conference of health leaders: ‘There will definitely be another surge – whether it’s before winter or next winter, we don’t know.

‘Variants are going to cause problems, there will be stockouts of vaccines and no doubt there will be multiple problems at national and local levels.’

The number of people who have died after testing positive for the virus reached 126,284 yesterday but Prof Whitty (pictured) said the true total was likely to be higher.

That was backed up by latest Office for National Statistics figures that show Covid was mentioned on the death certificate in 147,179 cases.

And the health chief forecast more ‘bumps and twists on the road’ with new variants emerging and jab supplies already under threat. He said people would have to learn to live with the virus in some form, with repeated winter surges likely, as the chances of completing eradicating it were ‘close to zero’. At a briefing with Prof Whitty on the anniversary of the first lockdown, Boris Johnson admitted there were ‘many things’ Britain could have done differently. ‘Doubtless there will be a moment to properly review, to learn lessons for future pandemics of a kind which I’m sure there will be,’ he added.

But he insisted the government ‘took all the decisions with the interest of the British people foremost in our hearts and in an effort to protect the public and prevent death and suffering’. He reiterated his fears about a third wave in Europe, saying: ‘We’ll see it wash on to our shores, I have no doubt.’ Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said he regretted inadequate testing and a lack of ‘much better data’ in the early days of the crisis. The number of deaths from all causes in England and Wales had fallen below average for the first time in six months, ONS data showed. A total of 10,987 were registered in the week ending March 12, which was 4.4 per cent below the five-year average.