Across the UK, coronavirus cases are spiking and according to week-old data, hospital admissions are doubling every eight days and the testing system is buckling. Cases of COVID-19 are increasing by at least 6,000 per day, with many calling for stricter lockdown measures across the country.
Professor Chris Whitty is today expected to warn Britain stands at a “critical point” in the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chief Medical officer will pave the way for tough new measures in an urgent attempt to stop the surge in infections.
In a televised briefing on Monday, Professor Whitty will say the country faces a “very challenging winter”, with the current trend heading in “the wrong direction”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent the weekend with senior ministers and advisers discussing what action to take as the rise in the number of new cases showed no sign of slowing.
Read More: New covid rules: What are the rules for different parts of UK?
The R-rate across the UK as of Friday, September 18 was between 1.1 and 1.4, with a growth rate between two and seven percent per day.
An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people.
Mr Johnson is expected to hold a press conference as early as Tuesday.
Now experts have been suggesting lockdown should be delayed until Christmas for the best chance of controlling the virus.
Cold and flu season is just beginning, and some have warned of the deadly combination of flu and coronavirus this winter.
However when asked about the potential for lockdown over Christmas, Mr Hancock today said the more the spread of the virus is controlled now, the easier it will be.
Mr Johnson has been desperate to avoid another nationwide lockdown amid concerns about the economic damage it will inflict just as activity was beginning to pick up again.
However, as of Tuesday, approximately 13.5 million people across the UK will under some form of local restrictions.
This includes curfews of 10pm for pubs and restaurants, as the Government tries to get a grasp on the virus.
One of the measures being discussed by ministers is a temporary two-week “circuit break”, with tighter restrictions across England in an attempt to break the chain of transmission.
However, Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in health protection at the University of East Anglia, suggested a “circuit break” might only stop the COVID-19 spike temporarily.
Professor Hunter called on an end to mixed messages from the Government, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday: “We’ve certainly seen a lot of confusion and a lot of mixed messages over the past few months and examples of people in authority who don’t feel that they need to follow the rules themselves.”
