A TOP Sage adviser has urged Brits to trust in the vaccines and get used to people being in hospital as we head towards winter.
It comes as Covid cases fell for the seventh day in a row yesterday despite gloomy warnings from some scientists of a back-to-school surge.
Prof Andrew Hayward, virus expert at University College London, said this winter will be “very different” to last because so many people have now been jabbed.
He said: “It’s right we can do more and we can rely on the vaccine more than we did last year and reduce the social distancing measures.”
But he said we still needed the Plan B of vaccine passports, mandatory masks and advice to work from home if “things spiral out of control”.
He added: “We are in this for the long term. Covid isn’t going to just go away, no matter how much we vaccinate. We need to come to a point where society can function and live with the virus, and that does mean we also have to live with the hospitalisations.”
In another boost, the number of daily cases was down 21 per cent week-on-week to 30,597 — keeping up a downward trend that will ease pressure on the NHS if it continues.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said restrictions would be brought in if the virus gets “out of control” but shook off warnings of record numbers of admissions.
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He said: “We have to listen to that, but make what we think is the right decision.”
Yesterday’s figures showed 8,340 in UK hospitals with Covid, up five per cent in a week.
- ONLY a third of Department of Health staff are back in the office — as they do not have enough desks. The number of employees jumped during the pandemic.
