Half of Britons expect another lockdown this year, poll finds

ONE in two British adults think there will be another coronavirus lockdown in 2021, according to a new opinion poll.

The survey by Savanta Comres found that 49 per cent of the public think there will be further lockdowns this year, with 74 per cent concerned about another winter wave of coronavirus. Concern is highest among those aged over 55, at 78 per cent.

While more than half (55 per cent) say the worst of Covid-19 is behind us, 19 per cent believe the worst is to come.

Chris Hopkins, of Savanta Comres, said: “While it may feel to many that the UK is out of the woods with coronavirus, there is still an underlying feeling – or perhaps fear – among the public that there are more restrictions, including lockdowns, to come.

“That, coupled with a small but significant proportion who feel that the worst of the pandemic is still ahead of us, shows that trust in the vaccine rollout may still be undermined if the UK enters further restrictions during a winter that will be inevitably challenging for the NHS.”

The poll comes after experts warned that the uptake of Covid booster jabs may be too slow to prevent hospitals becoming overcrowded this winter.

One month into the booster programme, NHS figures suggest only half of eligible over-80s have received a third dose.

The number of people aged 65 to 84 admitted to hospital has risen by 19 per cent in the past week.

On Sunday, the UK reported a 30 per cent weekly increase in Covid cases to 45,140 – the highest total since July – but average daily deaths within 28 days of a positive test plummeted by nearly twothirds, from 148 to 57, in the past week.

Of the 2,103 UK adults interviewed online by Savanta Comres from Oct 8 to Oct 10, three in 10 said another lockdown would show that the vaccine rollout has been a failure.

However, three in five (58 per cent) believe a firebreak lockdown would effectively relieve pressure on the NHS.