Mixing at Christmas poses “substantial risks”, particularly for older people, and there is “far too much emphasis” on having a normal festive period, a Government scientific adviser has said.
Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London (UCL) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the country was “on the cusp” of being able to vaccinate older populations and it would be “tragic” to throw away the gains made in suppressing coronavirus.
He also attacked the Government for “inconsistent” messages over what to do, saying it was clear that if people wanted to avoid Covid-19 they should not mix indoors.
Meanwhile, there are hopes the vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford is “going to be hopefully one of the key game changers” because the number of doses acquired by the Government will allow the UK to “hopefully reach that magic herd immunity”.
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Downing Street defends Test and Trace
Downing Street defended the “colossal” achievements of NHS Test and Trace but acknowledged improvements could be made.
A No 10 spokesman said: “We are testing more people per head of population than any other European country and that will grow thanks to our increased
testing capacity.”
But “we accept there are still improvements to be made, and we will continue to work on it”.
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Replacement measures to be set out next week
Downing Street said plans for the replacement for England’s lockdown measures and proposals to ease restrictions over Christmas would be set out next week.
A No 10 spokesman said: “We obviously keep the case numbers under review and we will continue to do so going into next week when we will set out more details of the next phase, post-December 2.”
Scientists have suggested that every day of relaxed measures over Christmas would require five days of tougher measures to compensate for the risk of a coronavirus spike.
The recommendation for five days of tougher measures is understood to be preliminary findings from unpublished modelling for the Sage scientific advisory panel.
The No 10 spokesman pointed to Boris Johnson’s view that “whilst Christmas will be a little bit different from normal this year, we continue to hope to ensure that families can spend Christmas together”.
“We will set out our plans next week.”
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'A different Christmas'
Dr Hans Kluge, who is the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) regional director for Europe, said that this year’s festive season will be “a different Christmas but that does not mean it cannot be a merry one”.
He said that during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, community-based groups formed safe solutions of breaking their fast, which involved celebrating virtually or delivering meals to homes for “distance celebrations”, while a “virtual Diwali” – the Hindu festival of light – involved free online events run by municipalities across Europe for “short, safe revelries”.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Dr Kluge said: “Cherish the festive season with those close to you.
“If it’s a large gathering of vulnerable people, you may postpone that gathering until you can safely gather.
“Despite the cold, if local restrictions permit, gather outside with loved ones for picnics in the park.”
He said signs of community spirit are being seen across Europe, with homeless shelters planning to deliver warm meals and food packages to the homeless at Christmas.
And he added that planned online festivities and popular department store Christmas windows were being unveiled through Facebook Live events.
He added: “We must ensure safe learning for older children and make sure they enjoy the festive season.”
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Just 3.9% who used home kit received results in 24 hours
Only 3.9% of people in England who used a home test kit for Covid-19 received their result within 24 hours in the week to November 11.
This is down slightly from 4.5% in the previous week.
Some 43.3% of people received the result of a home test within 48 hours, down from 57.7% in the previous week.
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84.9% reached by Test and Trace after being transferred
Of the 156,853 people transferred to the Test and Trace system in the week to November 11, 84.9% were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts.
This is down slightly from 85.6% in the previous week, which was the highest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began.
Some 13.7% of people transferred to Test and Trace in the week to November 11 were not reached, while a further 1.4% did not provide any communication details.
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38% received results in 24 hours after in person tests
A total of 38.0% of people who were tested for Covid-19 in England in the week ending November 11 at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – a so-called “in-person” test – received their result within 24 hours.
This is up slightly from 37.5% in the previous week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged that, by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.
He told the House of Commons on June 3 that he would get “all tests turned around within 24 hours by the end of June, except for difficulties with postal tests or insuperable problems like that”.
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60% of close contacts reached
Some 60.5% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached through the Test and Trace system in the week ending November 11, according to the latest figures.
This is unchanged on the previous week, and is also just above the all-time low of 60.1% for the week to October 14.
For cases managed by local health protection teams, 98.9% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to November 11.
For cases managed either online or by call centres, 58.9% of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate.
167,369 people test positive week of November 11
A total of 167,369 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to November 11, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.
This is the highest weekly number since Test and Trace was launched at the end of May and is an increase of 11% in positive cases on the previous week