COVID-19: In our hands whether or not coronavirus restrictions will return during the winter, says Conservative Party co-chair | UK news

[ad_1]

Oliver Dowden said the prospect of more coronavirus restrictions this winter is “in our hands.”

Sky’s Tory co-chair Kay Burley said there were “no plans or anything else to stop Christmas” this year because the situation is different compared to 2020 due to the successful vaccination launch.

But Mr Dowden cautioned that people should accept the booster shot offer when they invite one in order to keep the chances of introducing more rules as low as possible.

Photo: Mr Dowden said he was “confident” people would be able to have a “decent Christmas”

JCVI Announces Reinforcements; Reports on the UK’s ‘exit strategy’ – the latest version of COVID

He also refused to respond directly to a question about whether the travel restrictions could be reinstated.

Speaking to Sky’s Kay Burley, Mr Dowden said it was “in our hands” if further restrictions were imposed this winter, adding: “If you get the boost when the call comes in, that’s our biggest wall of defense against COVID.”

“I’m confident that if we stick to the cycle, people take boosters when they’re asked, that vaccine wall will hold up and we’ll be able to have a decent Christmas this year,” he added.

The Tory co-chair added: “The way we avoid a difficult situation is we take the support – so I can assure you there are no plans or anything else to stop Christmas.

“The big difference this time around is the vaccine and the massive effect of the vaccine — the way we keep ramping up that vaccine, the way we keep that wall of defense going is getting the boost when you get a call.”

Photo: Many people could only see elderly or frail loved ones through windows this past Christmas due to COVID rules. Pic: Reuters

Speaking during a visit to a medical center in east London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters that there was still nothing in the coronavirus data to suggest further restrictions were needed despite a “storm of infection” in Europe – but warned of There is a danger that “a snowstorm could come from the east again”.

“We don’t see anything in the data at the moment that we need to go to Plan B, we are sticking to Plan A. But what we definitely have to realize is that there is a storm of infection out there in parts of Europe, you can see these numbers are increasing sharply very much in some of our continental friends.”

“And we just have to realize that there is always the danger of a snowstorm coming from the east again, as the months get colder. The best protection for our country is for everyone to come forward and get that boost.”

The Prime Minister and Mr Dowden’s comments come after experts said this weekend they did not believe the UK would see a “catastrophic winter wave” that would require restrictions over Christmas.

Image: Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns ‘Blizzard may come from the East again’

Prof Neil Ferguson, a member of SAGE, said on Saturday that the UK was “in a very different situation” from some European countries that have reintroduced measures as their cases increase.

Austria, for example, has announced a 10-day lockdown for anyone not under double pressure, and there have been arrests and protests in the Netherlands over a new partial lockdown.

Sunday’s UK figures showed 36,517 more daily cases and 63 deaths linked to COVID. That compares with 30,305 cases and 62 deaths last week.

The latest seven-day average for cases is 37,488 – down from the previous month when it was nearly 40,000.

Deaths averaged 156, compared to 117 in the previous month.

Photo: Boris Johnson said the surge in Covid cases seen across Europe could happen in the UK if booster vaccines are not delivered fast enough

Meanwhile, 448,670 people received a booster vaccination on Saturday, bringing the total of those who received a third dose to 1,261,3256.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Professor Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Group for Pandemic Influenza Modeling (Spi-M), said he was “cautiously optimistic” about a “natural Christmas” to be enjoyed this year.

“If we look at (the trends), we can see that even though there has been a lot of variation over the past few weeks, we are still reporting very high numbers of cases, the total number of hospitalizations per day and the total number of deaths is much lower than we were in November. From last year, which should give us some confidence.”

Professor Tyldesley added that repeat vaccines could be offered “for years to come” to keep the virus at bay.

However, Dowden cautioned that controls may be necessary if the situation changes dramatically – such as the emergence of a new type of coronavirus.

“We haven’t ruled it out,” he told Kay Burley. “If the situation changes dramatically, we’ll have to look at that again.”

Photo: Many people could only see elderly or frail loved ones through windows this past Christmas due to COVID rules. Pic: Reuters

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, released on Saturday, showed a decline in COVID infections in most areas of England in the week to November 6, but there are early signs of an increase in the East Midlands.

Hospitalizations and deaths were also lower in the current third wave across England than in the corresponding week in the second wave in February of this year, the latest data shows.

The prime minister said the numbers were “encouraging” but added that it was not clear if the downward drift would continue.

“The only way we’re going to be able to get through this is for people to come forward and get purge,” Shadow Secretary of State Lisa Nandy told Sky News.

[ad_2]