WORST IS OVER
Mass Covid deaths and hospitalisations are over thanks to jab rollout and careful restrictions, top doc says
THE days of mass Covid deaths and hospitalisations are OVER thanks to the UK's triumphant jab rollout and careful restrictions, a top doc has claimed.
Professor Sir John Bell backed Boris Johnson's decision to save New Year's Eve and introduce NO new lockdown rules yesterday.
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The regius professor of medicine at Oxford University said last year's "horrific scenes" at hospitals where thousands suffered painful deaths from Covid-19 will remain a thing of the of the past.
His encouraging words come as a string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Sir John said Britain's vaccine drive is responsible for keeping hospitalisation and death rates low - as the latest analysis shows admissions are DOWN more than 50 per cent in a week.
A total of 8,474 people were in hospital with coronavirus on Monday - a huge drop on the massive 19,277 admissions recorded on the same day in 2020.
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Sir John said the public had been "pretty responsible" in its response to the spread of the Omicron variant.
He added: "You look at the people on the streets, the roads are quiet, all that stuff.
"I think that's likely to continue for the next week as we see how this thing evolves."
Sir John said since the rollout of the vaccination programme there had been no increase the incidence of severe illness and death from the disease.
"The horrific scenes that we saw a year ago - intensive care units being full, lots of people dying prematurely - that is now history in my view and I think we should reassured that that's likely to continue."
The highest daily cases recorded in 2020 was on December 29, when 81,472 people test positive.
The UK's deadliest day was on January 19 - which saw 1,359 people lose their lives.
Yesterday, Sajid Javid confirmed that there would be no new Covid-19 lockdown rules announced ahead of New Year's Eve.
In other Covid-19 news:
- Revellers danced in the streets and hit pubs and clubs after no new restrictions were announced for New Year’s Eve;
- Covid restrictions might not be introduced in the new year after the Health Secretary praised the booster jab uptake;
- New Year’s Eve revellers should take a lateral flow test and celebrate outside, Sajid Javid said;
- Professor Neil Ferguson has admitted he "oversimplified things" with his doomsday Covid predictions;
- Covid self-isolation rules should be SCRAPPED from Easter onwards because the virus will be just "a common cold" by then, an expert has claimed;
- Hospitality bosses praised Boris Johnson for saving New Year’s Eve - their busiest night of the year.
But the Health Secretary stressed Brits should "remain cautious", take a lateral flow and celebrate outside or in a well-ventilated room - as he urged everyone to get their jabs if they can.
Sir John added: "The health minister has taken advice and looked at the data.
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"I think his judgement where we should go in the next few days is probably fine," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"There are a lot of people who are aware that we are in the face of this large wave of disease.
"The behaviour of people in the UK, in England in particular, has been pretty responsible in terms of trying not to go out and spending a lot of time exposing yourself to the virus.
"You look at the people on the streets, the roads are quiet, all that stuff.
"I think that's likely to continue for the next week as we see how this thing evolves."
Health bosses have confirmed that Monday's hospitalisation figure - although higher than Sunday's - is no cause for concern.
There are 842 hospital-bound patients on ventilators - the lowest in two months - with winter-induced increase as seen last year.
And data has also shown that a third of patients who have Covid in hospital are actually being treated for something else.
The number going to hospital with the virus fell before Christmas — with 1,020 admitted on Christmas Eve compared to 1,252 the day before;
Fatality figures have also decreased, with 742 deaths reported in the last seven days - down 5.6 per cent on the week prior.
The horrific scenes that we saw a year ago - intensive care units being full, lots of people dying prematurely - that is now history in my view and I think we should reassured that that's likely to continue.
Professor Sir John Bell
While it appears there has been a week-on-week rise in hospitalisations, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson stressed that the data is tricky to interpret.
He told BBC Breakfast there had been a 27 per cent increase in the number of hospital admissions nationally over the past week, and a 45 per cent increase in London.
He said: "In the previous peaks, we've had some very seriously ill older people who've got really significant respiratory problems and... they had to go into critical care.
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"The difference this time is we've got quite a few patients who are coming in - they might have fallen off their bike and knocked their head or broken their leg - and what's happening is they've got no symptoms but when they arrive, they're actually testing positive for Covid.
"Interestingly, the statistics that we use don't actually distinguish between those two.
"So we just need to be careful about overinterpreting the data.
"The key bit... is that we still don't know exactly what's going to happen at the point when Omicron meets the older population.
"Clearly we've had a lot of intergenerational mixing over Christmas, so are we going to see a significant number of increases in terms of the number of patients coming into hospital with serious Omicron-related disease."
Over 320,000 new coronavirus infections have been recorded , the latest data has revealed.
But Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, told BBC Breakfast that while cases are soaring, it is at a slower rate than previously seen.
He said: "Cases are increasing in older people and of course, people over 60.
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"Of course, this is the group that is more likely to go into hospital and hospitalisations are also rising, but so far nothing obvious such as people on intensive care units."
Prof Hunter added: "We're already seeing a big difference in the risk to people who have been boosted being a lot less than the people have not been boosted.
"Ultimately, the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to have the booster."
Downing Street yesterday urged partygoers to take care, but defied demands for more lockdown curbs after data showed Omicron has not overwhelmed hospitals.
In an announcement, Health Secretary Sajid Javid stressed Brits should "remain cautious", take a lateral flow and celebrate outside or in a well-ventilated room - as he urged everyone to get their jabs if they can.
He added: "We look at the data on a daily basis - that hasn't changed over the Christmas period.
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"But there will be no further measures before the new year. Of course, people should remain cautious as we approach New Year's celebrations."
There was anger in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where restrictions remain.
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