Medical chief fears new infections wave
ENGLAND’S deputy chief medical officer has said she is “very, very concerned” about a second wave of Covid-19 and urged people to take action now – such as losing weight – to help fend off the illness.
Dr Jenny Harries said there is “still quite a long haul” to go with coronavirus, adding that people must not become complacent and must keep up hand-washing, social distancing and limiting social interactions.
“The virus is still out there, it’s looking for more people to infect and we need to stop it getting a grip,” she told ITV’s This Morning.
She said there is good news around Covid-19, such as children not getting very sick, but there are also risk factors, such as people being overweight.
“Obesity is actually problematic and that’s one of the things that we could do something about,” she said.
Dr Harries said more research is needed regarding at which point in an illness somebody can transmit the virus, adding that asymptomatic transmission is “really difficult to detect”.
She said the period probably around 36 to 48 hours before symptoms develop is an important one for managing coronavirus but is difficult to study.
On the issue of face masks, she said there are “ongoing discussions” around their more widespread use.
She said the evidence around asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 means “people are looking in much more detail to say ‘Well, if that’s the case, is there anything we can do in the period before people are aware that they have disease that would reduce that risk of transmission?”’ Asked by presenter Phillip Schofield if the virus is weakening in strength, as some scientists believe, Dr Harries said: “There is a possibility that that is happening but I think we don’t have enough clear evidence of that at the moment.
“And I just say two things: it is possible that that will happen but we should not be complacent.
“I think it’s far too early to say that, and if people think that they might come into contact with this virus and it’s weaker so they shouldn’t worry, that’s not the right message to have at all.”
She added that it is “highly unlikely” that Covid-19 will just be eliminated.
“The death rate definitely is coming down but effectively what we’ve seen is the first peak, and we want to prevent a second one,” she said.
She added: “Because the weather is slightly with us, it’s quite likely that the summer is sort of running a bit in our favour, that in the warmer weather, particularly when people are outdoors much more – which is much safer – we’re unlikely to see one.
“But I think myself and colleagues are very, very concerned about looking out for a potential second peak as we move into the autumn, and of course that’s the same time that we start having people presenting with other symptoms which could confuse people – so flu symptoms vary, obviously, and also when our hospitals get busier.”
On the question of vaccines, she said she believed one will be found but not this year.