COVID infections are widely expected to rise again in September, when school and university terms begin and more workers return to the office, but scientists are optimistic that this can be managed without some of the tough restrictions seen since the start of the pandemic.
But Prof Ferguson added COVID was"going to transition quite quickly in a few months to be more something we live with and manage through vaccination rather than crisis measures".Euro 2020 created an"artificially inflated level of contact", he said, leading to his predictions in July that the UK would hit 100,000 cases a day following phase four of unlocking.
The number of COVID patients in hospital in England has dropped, with the latest figures from NHS England showing there were 4,879 patients in hospital at 8am on Friday 6 August, down 4.5% week-on-week from the 5,111 reported on Friday 30 July. The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England has fallen and is between 0.8 and 1.1, according to the latest figures.
Last week, it was between 1.1 and 1.4. R represents the average number of people each infected person goes on to infect.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Covid-19 saliva test gives result in 1 hour - and can pinpoint which variantA saliva test costing just £1.50 can pinpoint different Covid variants and tell if you're infected within the hour
Read more »
Covid-19: First 16 and 17-year-olds offered jabs and the Edinburgh Fringe returns➡️First 16 and 17-year-olds offered jabs ➡️The Edinburgh Fringe returns ➡️Couple get exemption to wed Here's what you need to know about the pandemic this evening
Read more »
COVID-19: 'To protect my family' - 16 and 17-year-olds in Northern Ireland get vaccinatedOn Friday, Northern Ireland became the first UK region where those aged 16 to 17 with no underlying medical conditions could receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Read more »
COVID-19: Wales lifts most remaining coronavirus restrictions as it moves to alert level zeroRules remain righter than in England with face masks still required in many public places. Social distancing rules, however, have been lifted.
Read more »
US now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a dayThe seven-day average for new daily COVID-19 infections has surpassed 100,000 in the U.S., returning to levels not seen since the winter surge
Read more »
Covid-19: Hospital procedures in NI decrease by 46%New figures highlight the huge reduction in work carried out in the health system due to Covid-19.
Read more »