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‘Will get worse’: Experts warn as UK reports highest new Covid cases since Jan 22
On average, Britain has been reporting about 410 cases per million people over the past week, one the highest cases in the world per capita.
As the United Kingdom prepares for dropping most of the pandemic-induced restrictions on July 19, experts are concerned about the government's approach amid rising cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) on Friday warned that “things will get worse before they get better.” The coordinating body of the UK and Ireland's 23 medical royal colleges and faculties said in a statement that the country is already in the turmoil of the third wave of coronavirus, highlighting the dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases.
AMRC said the National Health Service (NHS) is currently under unprecedented pressure for a combination of reasons, not all of which are yet clear. “People who stayed away from the NHS during the pandemic are now coming forward, some of them with more serious problems because of the delay in seeking help,” they added.
On Friday, the UK reported more than 35,000 infections, the highest in over five months. On average, it has been recording about 410 cases per million people over the past week, one the highest cases in the world per capita. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has branded the July 19 reopening as “Freedom Day” but experts are worried about the message.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of AMRC, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “there seems to be a misapprehension that life will return to normal from then [July 19], and that we can throw away all the precautions, and frankly, that would be dangerous.”
“We all want to make sure that the public is fully aware that this pandemic is far from over and that when the 19th comes, what we need is a responsible approach and a very cautious approach to relaxing restrictions,” she added.
AMRC said that the country will see a rise in other respiratory infections as well Covid-19 cases, adding to the pressures on the NHS when hospitals are trying to tackle the huge backlog in elective work which has built up over the pandemic.
“It is like the worst of a bad winter in July,” it said, urging the public to continue to show caution in their approach.
