Further lockdowns possible this winter, says Dr Susan Hopkins
Further lockdowns could be necessary this winter, an expert has warned, as thousands more over-18s queue outside vaccine centres.
Dr Susan Hopkins, director for Covid-19 at Public Health England, told The Andrew Marr Show: “We may have to do further lockdowns this winter, I can’t predict the future – it really depends on whether the hospitals start to become overwhelmed at some point.”
However, she stressed that people wouldn’t normally be put into lockdown for severe cases of influenza – and that the country needs to move to a situation where people can “live with this”.
The scientist’s comments came as thousands more people queued up outside vaccination centres for a second consecutive day after the jab was opened up to all over-18s.
Giant jab clinics have been set up at major football stadiums across London, while smaller events have also been taking place in community venues over the weekend in a drive to vaccinate as many Londoners as possible.
More than 700,000 Covid-19 jabs were booked on the day the NHS vaccination programme was opened up to people aged 18 to 20.
People in England made 721,469 appointments through the national booking service on Friday, more than 30,000 an hour or more than eight every second.
Outdoor civil weddings and partnerships get green light for first time
Civil wedding and partnership ceremonies will be allowed to take place outdoors for the first time in England and Wales from July.
This will allow couples to hold outdoor ceremonies from July until next April and means more guests can attend gatherings that would otherwise have been affected by social distancing restrictions.
My colleague Kate Ng has more details:
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 12:36
Let’s get all over-40s double jabbed by Freedom Day, says PHE expert
A senior director at Public Health England (PHE) has said she hopes the delay to the end of lockdown will allow time for everyone over the age of 40 to get double vaccinated.
Dr Susan Hopkins, strategic director for Covid-19 at PHE, said getting as many people as possible jabbed by 19 July should mean the latest wave in coronavirus cases caused by the Delta variant will not be as deadly as previous waves.
Last week, the government was forced to delay so-called Freedom Day, when all restrictions will be lifted, by four weeks due to a worrying rise in positive tests.
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 12:26
Relaxing restrictions such as foreign travel and self-isolation not ruled out, says justice secretary
Justice secretary Robert Buckland said ministers have not ruled out relaxing restrictions, such as on foreign travel and self-isolation, for those who have received both coronavirus vaccines.
He told the Andrew Marr Show on the BBC: “I think experts like Susan Hopkins are absolutely right to remind us the evidence is still developing on double vaccinations.
“It looks great, it looks really encouraging, we’re trying to be as flexible as we can.
“We will keep on looking at all these proposals and flexes as appropriate.”
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 12:17
Thousands more queue for vaccine
Thousands more people have queued up outside vaccination centres for a second consecutive day after the jab was opened up to all over-18s.
Giant jab clinics have been set up at major football stadiums across London, while smaller events have also been taking place in community venues over the weekend in a drive to vaccinate as many Londoners as possible.
More than 700,000 Covid-19 jabs were booked on the day the NHS vaccination programme was opened up to people aged 18 to 20.
People queue at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in north London on Sunday
(Yui Mok/PA)
People queue at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in north London on Sunday
(Yui Mok/PA)
People queuing outside an NHS Vaccination Clinic at West Ham’s London Stadium in Stratford, east London, on Saturday
(Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 12:07
Minister doesn’t rule out winter lockdown after PHE expert says ‘we may have to’ reimpose measure
A cabinet minister has refused to rule out another Covid-19 lockdown this winter after Dr Susan Hopkins said it could be necessary to control the virus.
Dr Hopkins, the director for Covid-19 at Public Health England, said Britain needed to move to a situation where we can “live with this” in the longer term.
Read the full story below:
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 11:59
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned for rolling updates on the latest news and statistics throughout the day.
Chiara Giordano20 June 2021 11:51
