UK should prepare for possible 'large wave' of Covid cases, says former SAGE member

People wearing face mask in central London, after the final coronavirus legal restrictions were lifted in England.
People wearing face mask in central London, after the final coronavirus legal restrictions were lifted in England.
Dominic Lipinski
Max Parry

By Max Parry


Published: 17/08/2021

- 17:19

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:13

Britain could be struck by 'quite substantial transmission going into the autumn and coming up to the winter'

The UK may have the 'potential' to suffer a new 'large wave' of Covid cases from September, according to a Professor Neil Ferguson, a leading epidemiologist.

Professor Ferguson said Britain could be hit by 'quite substantial transmission going into the autumn and coming up to the winter.'

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Covid infection numbers continue to be 'quite high', sitting at around 30,000 every day, calling the situation 'slightly sobering.'

The former SAGE member added that the UK still 'have the potential of quite a large wave of infection in September, October' as people’s lives return to a relative normality.

However, thanks to the success of the vaccine rollout Prof Ferguson said it was 'unlikely' the death toll will reach comparable levels with January.

Nearly 50 million people in the UK have had at least their first dose of a Covid jab so far.

The weekend saw a drop-off in the daily coronavirus cases as well as fatalities

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