Covid Rules: Professor Ferguson believes further lockdowns ‘unlikely’ as cases fall | United Kingdom | New UK News

Professor Neil Ferguson, a British epidemiologist at Imperial College London, believes the days of forced shutdowns are likely over as the number of cases plummets. Speaking to The Times, Professor Ferguson said that while lockdowns cannot be ruled out, draconian-style crisis measures would be “unlikely”.

“I think it’s unlikely that we will need a new lockdown or even social distancing measures of the kind we’ve had so far,” he said.

Professor Ferguson, whose modeling informed the first national lockdown in March 2020, said the epidemic “will pass quickly enough in a few months to be more of something we live and manage with vaccination rather than measures crisis “.

The comments follow a sharp drop in cases outside the lockdown measures, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

Experts predicted that the number of cases would likely rise again in September as schools return and workers return to the office.

However, there is hope that the increase in cases can be managed without reverting to lockdown measures.

Professor John Edmunds, a SAGE fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is an academic who believes the coming months can be managed without restrictions.

“I suspect we won’t have to [impose any more lockdowns]”, he said.

“The pinch point has always been pressure on the NHS and although it is embarrassing for the NHS so there will be pressure I very much doubt they will not be able to cope.”

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He said in a statement: “Today’s advice from the Independent Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI) means more young people aged 16 and over can benefit from Covid-19 vaccines.

“I accepted their expert recommendations and asked the NHS to prepare to vaccinate eligible people as soon as possible.

“The JCVI has not recommended vaccinating those under 16 without underlying health problems, but will keep their position under review based on the latest data.”