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10.05am BST
The Office for National Statistics has published its weekly report on deaths in England and Wales. Here are the key points.
9.43am BST
The Government Office for Science normally publishes a batch of Sage background papers every Friday. Over recent months its transparency record has been impressive, and we have been able to read internal government papers within weeks of their circulation, instead of having to wait years for the public inquiry.
But, unusually, the documents showing that Sage (the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) was calling for a full fortnight-long lockdown three weeks ago were released to journalists last night, shortly after the PM’s press conference was over. It is not clear yet whether this was because the Government Office for Science (ie, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser) wanted the public to know that the scientists were being ignored, or because No 10 thought this would be a good time to “bury” embarrassing material. (If it was the latter, that hasn’t worked.)
A package of interventions will need to be adopted to prevent this exponential rise in cases. Single interventions are unlikely to be able to reduce incidence. If schools are to remain open, then a wide range of other measures will be required. The shortlist of non-pharmaceutical interventions that should be considered for immediate introduction include:
A circuit-breaker (short period of lockdown) to return incidence to low levels. o Advice to work from home for all those that can.
Continue reading…Latest updates: minister says Covid restrictions require ‘difficult judgment’ of protecting lives while prioritising education and jobsMinisters told weeks ago to impose short lockdown or face ‘large epidemic’Tempers flare over new Covid rules as Johnson warns: ‘We must act now’UK redundancies rise at record rate amid Covid falloutGlobal coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 10.05am BSTThe Office for National Statistics has published its weekly report on deaths in England and Wales. Here are the key points. 9.43am BSTThe Government Office for Science normally publishes a batch of Sage background papers every Friday. Over recent months its transparency record has been impressive, and we have been able to read internal government papers within weeks of their circulation, instead of having to wait years for the public inquiry.But, unusually, the documents showing that Sage (the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) was calling for a full fortnight-long lockdown three weeks ago were released to journalists last night, shortly after the PM’s press conference was over. It is not clear yet whether this was because the Government Office for Science (ie, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser) wanted the public to know that the scientists were being ignored, or because No 10 thought this would be a good time to “bury” embarrassing material. (If it was the latter, that hasn’t worked.)A package of interventions will need to be adopted to prevent this exponential rise in cases. Single interventions are unlikely to be able to reduce incidence. If schools are to remain open, then a wide range of other measures will be required. The shortlist of non-pharmaceutical interventions that should be considered for immediate introduction include: A circuit-breaker (short period of lockdown) to return incidence to low levels. o Advice to work from home for all those that can. Continue reading…