UK headed for 50k new Covid-19 cases a day by October unless action taken

Sir Patrick Valance and Professor Chris Whitty.

The UK is on course for 50,000 new Covid-19 cases a day by mid-October, if current trends continue. 

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and chief scientific advisor, Sir Patrick Valance  raised grave warnings during an address to the nation this morning. 

Sir Patrick said 70,000 people in the UK had the virus with 6,000 new cases each day. 

Shetland’s official figure increased by three on Saturday – the biggest increase since April. 

While most new cases have been in young adults, Sir Patrick said older groups were also affected and it would lead to  hospitalisations and deaths. 

He said “speed and action” was needed  to avoid exponential growth. 

Prof Whitty said following “remarkable efforts” to bring rates down – most of the UK was now seeing an increase. 

Without action, he said the UK will find itself facing a “very difficult problem”.

Although Sir Patrick highlighted progress in  finding a vaccine, he said we to find a way of living with the virus in the meantime.