‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson warns Covid-19 cases are continuing to spill out of care homes and Britain’s outbreak will continue at a stable rate until SEPTEMBER
- Epidemiologist said he was ‘shocked’ by how badly sector had been protected
- Said R rate would hover around 1 because staff keep taking virus out of homes
- But warned of second wave in winter when the disease transmits much better
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Coronavirus infections in care homes are continuing to spill into the community and will keep daily cases steady until September, ‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson has warned.
The Imperial College London scientist – whose grim modelling of the pandemic has been used to steer the Government through the crisis – said he was ‘shocked’ by how badly the sector had been protected during the crisis
He claimed the R rate – the average number of people a Covid patients infects – would remain only marginally below 1 because staff were still carrying the disease out of the homes.
Professor Ferguson suggested that infections could spiral back out of control again in the cold winter months when the virus thrives and restrictions are eased even more.
The R rate denotes the number of other people an infected patient will pass the sickness on to and it must stay at 1 or below or Britain will face another crisis.
He made the comments at a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on Tuesday during his first public appearance since flouting stay at home rules to have secret trysts with his married mistress last month.
Professor Neil Ferguson claimed the Covid R rate – the average number of people a Covid patients infects – would remain only marginally below 1 because staff were still carrying the disease out of care homes and hospitals
The Imperial College London scientist made the comments to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee during his first public appearance since a series of public controversies
Professor Ferguson told Peers: ‘I, like many people, am shocked about how badly European – or countries around the world – have protected care home populations.
‘The infections in care homes and hospitals spill back into the community, more commonly through people who work in those institutions.
‘If you can drive the infection rates low in those institutional settings, you drive the infection low in the community as a whole.’