Warning UK’s next COVID peak ‘could be as serious as the last’ as cases hit three-month high
Rising COVID-19 cases heading into winter “suggest this peak could be as serious as the last”, the UK’s former chief scientific adviser has warned.
Sir David King was speaking to Sky News a day after 49,156 cases were reported – the highest since mid-July.
Cases have been regularly over 40,000 in the last week – with the high numbers mainly being attributed to infections among schoolchildren.
“The disease is rising to another peak, and this peak could be as serious as the last,” Sir David told Sky’s Kay Burley.
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It comes as a former World Health Organization director claimed the UK had the highest COVID-19 case rates in the world and a death rate far higher than China.
Professor Anthony Costello accused the government and advisers of being “silent” on the issue.
Downing Street said on Monday that the winter months look “challenging” and that it was keeping a “close watch” on cases.
However, it said new infections were roughly in line with predictions and that the vaccine programme had “substantially” broken the link between cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.
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The latest seven-day average for deaths is 124.1, while the latest count for people in hospital for COVID is 7,097.
Both are much lower than the winter peak in January, and cases remain below the initial prediction of 100,000 per day made by the health secretary ahead of England’s so-called Freedom Day.
But there are fears these numbers could rise significantly in the coming months.
Booster jabs are being administered, but Sir David said the rollout was too slow
Sir David also criticised the booster jab rollout as going “extremely slowly”.
“I do know many older people who haven’t had their booster – I can’t understand this. If the vaccines are available, what’s happening to the rollout?” he said.
A third COVID-19 jab is to be offered to groups including over-50s, vulnerable groups, and people who work in care homes and frontline health care.
The NHS will contact those who are eligible, so long as it’s been at least six months since their second jab.
The UK’s former science chief also expressed frustration at lower levels of mask wearing now most COVID rules have been scrapped.
“How many people are still wearing masks? And for goodness’ sake, why not?” said Sir David.
“I just don’t understand why when I get into a train or an Underground, I don’t see everybody wearing masks. Why aren’t we still requiring people to travel with masks, to go into buildings with masks?
“It just seems a very simple thing.”
He also cautioned over the thousands of people coming to the UK for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, calling it a “massive potential rollout of the disease”.
“It’s a viral factory to put all those people together from 197 nations of the world,” he said.
“I really worry about it – not because they will bring disease into use, but because we are the country with a very high level of virus, and we will be passing on to them.”
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Health secretary: The COVID ‘plan B’ for winter
The government last month set out a Plan A and B for dealing with COVID over winter, as it hopes to avoid more lockdowns.
Plan A includes expanding the vaccine rollout, such as to school-age children, plus more cash for the NHS COVID response, and a focus on antiviral drugs.
It also stresses that NHS Test and Trace and self-isolation will continue to be “critical” in keeping the disease under control.
Plan B would kick in should the NHS be threatened by “unsustainable pressure”. England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has already warned the health service faces an “exceptionally difficult” winter.
Measures could include the possibility of vaccine passports in some settings in England – such as nightclubs and large sports events, while mask rules and working from home may also return.
Metropolitan Police is to stop investigating “non-crime hate incidents” to “reduce ambiguity” after prosecutors dropped a case against Graham Linehan.
Linehan, 57, will face no further action after being arrested over his social media posts about transgender people.
The Father Ted and IT Crowd creator said his lawyers had been told the case wouldn’t proceed. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the move.
Linehan, 57, was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence when he landed at Heathrow from his home in the US on 1 September.
The incident drew criticism of the police and government from some politicians and free-speech campaigners.
Met Police said today it would stop investigating “non-crime hate incidents” to “reduce ambiguity” and “provide clearer direction for officers”.
Posting on X, Linehan announced : “After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
The union said it had hired a “top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things”.
“The police need to be taught a lesson that they cannot allow themselves to be continually manipulated by woke activists,” it added.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson confirmed it had reviewed the case file and decided “no further action” would be taken.
Linehan said he had to be taken to hospital on the day of his arrest. Pic: PA
In one of his posts, Linehan wrote: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
Another was a photo of a trans-rights protest, with the comment “a photo you can smell”, and a follow-up post saying: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em”.
A Met Police statement after the case was dropped acknowledged “concern” around Linehan’s arrest.
It added: “The commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position.
“As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents.
“We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations.”
Linehan said on his blog that he was arrested by five armed officers and had to go to A&E after his blood pressure reached “stroke territory” during his interrogation.
Police said the officers’ guns were never drawn and were only present as Linehan was detained by the aviation unit, which routinely carries firearms.
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JK Rowling, who’s regularly shared her views on women’s rights in relation to transgender rights, was among those who had criticised the arrest, calling it “utterly deplorable”.
Reform’s Nigel Farage, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, and ex-foreign secretary Sir James Cleverly also hit out at the treatment of Linehan.
UK
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be able to buy tickets to Aston Villa match next month, Israeli club says
The son of former England footballer Stuart Pearce has died in a crash, his family has said.
Harley Pearce, from Marlborough in Wiltshire, was driving a tractor near Witcombe, Gloucestershire, on Thursday, when he was involved in a collision, police said.
The 21-year-old farming worker died at the scene, on the A417 Old Birdlip Hill in Witcombe, around five miles from Gloucester.
No other vehicles were involved, Gloucestershire Constabulary said. Emergency services were called to the scene of the incident at about 2.30pm on October 16.
Stuart Pearce at last year’s FA Cup Final at Wembley. Pic: PA
Harley Pearce was 21 and worked in farming, according to reports.
‘Our shining star’
In a tribute posted on Facebook, Harley sister, Chelsea Pearce, said the family was “truly shocked and utterly heartbroken at the loss of our cherished son and devoted brother, Harley”.
He was, the family said, was a soul “who left an unforgettable imprint on all who knew him”.
“He was a golden boy with an infectious smile, and this shocking tragedy will leave a huge hole in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to have known him.”
He had “a quiet, understated strength and deep kindness”.
The family said they were “so proud of the young man he had become, exhibiting a wonderful work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit in the farming industry.
“He will always be our shining star. Rest in Peace, our beautiful son and brother. You will never, ever be forgotten.”
What have police said?
Harley ran his own company, Harley Pearce Agricultural Service, talkSPORT said.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said on Thursday: “The driver of the tractor, a man in his 20s and from Wiltshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“His next of kin are aware and being supported by specially trained officers.”
The force is appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact them.
‘Tragic news’
Harley’s father, Stuart Pearce, played 78 times for England and was part of the Three Lions squads which reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96, the FA said on its website.
He was later the head coach of the England Under-21s.
During a long club career, he made more than 400 appearances for Nottingham Forest, many of them as captain, during a 12-year spell at the City Ground.
He later managed the club, as well as another former club, Manchester City.
Pearce currently works as a pundit on talkSPORT, which said on its website that Harley and Chelsea were the two children he had with his ex-wife Liz.
Presenter Jim White said during a broadcast on Monday that “everybody here on this show and at talkSPORT sends our heartfelt condolences to the family of Stuart Pearce after that tragic news we’ve just heard”.
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Several of the clubs he played for posted tributes on X, including Forest, who said they were “deeply saddened”.
The club said: “The thoughts of everyone connected with Nottingham Forest are with Stuart and his family at this truly difficult time.”
West Ham United said: “We are saddened to hear of Harley Pearce’s passing.
“Everyone at the Club sends their deepest condolences to Stuart and his family at this tragic time.”
Manchester City said: “Everyone at Manchester City sends their love and thoughts to Stuart and his family at this very difficult time.”
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