Politics
Matt Hancock announcement: What did the Health Secretary say in his speech today, Monday, March 1?
MATT Hancock led another Downing Street press conference this afternoon, March 1, to update Brits on our battle against the coronavirus.
His announcement came hours after the PM, Boris Johnson, confirmed “we are embarking on a journey, a one-way roadmap to freedom”.
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The Health Secretary’s update to the nation included the latest Covid stats[/caption]
What did Matt Hancock announce?
The Health Secretary updated viewers on the current coronavirus death toll, the number of those infected, and our latest Covid jab statistics.
Mr Hancock also talked about the Brazilian “variant of concern” that has been discovered in the UK.
He was accompanied by Professor Jonathan Van Tan and by Dr Susan Hopkins.
The Health Secretary paid tribute to all the teams involved in the delivering of the vaccination programme after hitting the target of 20 million Brits getting the jab.
Mr Hancock also thanked the public for sticking to the rules and for the ‘remarkable enthusiasm’ to get the Covid vaccine.
Latest figures revealed that 94% of those eligible to get the jab either have had or will get the jab.
Both the number of cases and the number of hospitalisations have fallen, proving that the Covid vaccine is working, says Matt Hancock.
The number of hospitalisations is falling faster than the infection rates.
But as the rate of decline has slowed, Health Secretary insisted the public must continue to stick to the rules and “not blow it now”.
The number of deaths is also falling much faster than in the first peak of the pandemic.
Experts are working in developing a vaccine that works against variants as “fast and safely possible”, Mr Hancock announced.
A surge testing programme was today underway in postcodes across England to try and trace the rogue bug.
The Health Secretary urged anyone in affected areas to come forward for fresh testing to help contain its spread.
There is also a massive search for a mystery person infected with the Brazilian variant.
Mr Hancock encouraged anyone who took a test on February 12 or February 13 and did not receive a result, to contact the NHS.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “There is one case who the individual didn’t fill in their test card details so we can contact them. They probably got a home kit or a test kit from their local authority.
“What we’re asking today is if anyone had a test on February 12 or 13 to contact NHS 119 so we make sure we identify that individual.”
It is feared the mutant strain could disrupt plans to lift all lockdown measures in the UK by June 21 – an expert has suggested.
A surge testing programme in several postcodes of Bristol and South Gloucestershire is underway to try and trace a Brazilian variant[/caption]
Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College said the public should be “somewhat worried but not [be in a state of] total panic.”
But he suggested the Brazilian variant could have a real impact on the UK’s jab rollout, saying, “the way I think about it is it’s a bit like… the effect that the Kent variant had… it just slowed everything up.”
If the rogue bug does slow the UK jab rollout, Boris Johnson’s lockdown roadmap will almost certainly be impacted as one of the key conditions for June 21 lifting of measures is vaccines continuing at their current pace.
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Mr Johnson confirmed that that a “massive effort” was underway to battle the variant.
But, there is “no reason not to think that our vaccines are effective against these variants of concern at the present time” and Public Health England “don’t think that there is a threat to the wider public”, the PM added.
He also told reporters today: “What we are doing is embarking now on a journey, a one-way roadmap to freedom and it is designedly cautious in order to be irreversible.”
