Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group, admitted that the UK could end up being the “worst affected country in Europe” in terms of coronavirus deaths. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Sir Jeremy revealed that he thought the country’s death rate could exceed that of other European countries.
He said: “Numbers in the UK have continued to go up. I do hope that we are coming close to the numbers reducing. But yes, the UK is likely to be certainly one of the worst, if not the worst affected country in Europe.”
In comparison, he said that the “remarkable” scale of testing in Germany has been crucial in keeping their hospital admissions for coronavirus lower than the UK and that “undoubtedly there are lessons to learn from that.”
He went on to suggest that a vaccine might be available by Autumn but that “second and third waves” of coronavirus would occur.
“It is my view that treatment and vaccines are our only true exit strategy from this.”
SAGE, the Scientific Advisory Group, plays a vital role in advising the UK government on its response and actions against the coronavirus and will provide ministers with scientific evidence to help them decide about the lockdown measures moving forward.
The total number of hospital deaths stood at 10,612 on Sunday, up from 9,875 the day before. Speaking at the daily coronavirus on Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
“Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease as we join the list of countries who have seen more than 10,000 deaths related to the coronavirus. The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious this coronavirus is and why the national effort that everyone is engaged in is so important.”
When asked about Sir Jeremy’s comments, he said: “I think that sort of comment merely reinforces the importance of the central message, which is that people should stay at home because that protects the NHS and saves lives. The future of this virus is unknowable as yet because it depends on the behaviour of millions of people and the Great British public.”
The UK is the fifth country to surpass 10,000 deaths, joining Spain, Italy, France, and the United States.
Sir Jeremy Farrar is not the only health expert that feels pessimistic about the number of potential fatalities in the UK due to the coronavirus. Sue Hill, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons, believes that the UK death toll could rise to 30,000 and has said that the government gave the appearance of placing “political spin” over action.
The Health Secretary has also come under criticism for the government’s lack of ability to track the spread of the virus with concerns about tracing the number of cases and deaths outside of hospitals. Although, he has announced the development of a new contact-tracing app that will allow people to enter personal health data, recent contacts and coronavirus symptoms in a bid to help end the lockdown.
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