Will there be a third Covid wave in the UK?

BORIS Johnson says the UK could "feel the effects" of the third Covid wave in Europe after nations went back into lockdown last week.

The Prime Minister warned the UK could soon "feel the effects" of the rise in infections across the Continent, after a string of countries were plunged back into Covid lockdown last week.

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Will there be a third Covid wave in the UK?

At present, it is unclear whether a third Covid wave will engulf the UK.

A third wave is currently spreading through Europe, with Italy and France recently introducing new lockdowns to curb rising infections and deaths.

Mr Johnson's roadmap states that normal life should be able to resume fully by the summer if infections continue to fall in Britain.

However he also this week warned that it was likely that the third wave engulfing Europe would make its way to the UK.

He said: "Previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, I’m afraid it washes up on our shores as well and expect we will feel those effects in due course.”

Could there be a fourth national lockdown?

On Monday (March 22, 2021), Boris Johnson vowed to end ­lockdown “once and for all” ahead of the first anniversary of national lockdown on March 23.

The PM warned a third Covid wave in Europe would “wash up on our shores”, but hailed our jabs success and national spirit.

Boris declared he could “bash on” with his route to freedom thanks to our jabs success.

But Brits have now been warned not to book a foreign holiday this summer amid fears that they could prompt a fourth lockdown next winter.

Government advisers are said to be particularly troubled by the spread of new variants such as the South Africa strain, which accounts for 5 to 10 per cent of cases in tourist hotspot France.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) at the University of Leicester, said he did not believe Brits “should be planning on summer holidays abroad until next year”. 

His concerns were echoed by Social Care Minister Helen Whately who said it was  “premature” to consider booking a trip to the Continent – despite Britain's successful jab campaign.

She told BBC Breakfast: “I know everybody feels like it’s time for a holiday. We all need that.

“My advice would be to anybody right now is just to hold off on booking international travel.

“The Prime Minister launched a taskforce to look specifically at international travel.

"That will be reporting back shortly. It just feels premature to be booking international travel at the moment.”

What has been said about a third Covid wave in the UK?

One member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) yesterday (March 23, 2021) warned there is a "likelihood" that Brits could witness a third wave of the virus in the summer months.

Speaking to Sky News Professor Calum Semple, Professor of Outbreak Medicine at the University of Liverpool said infections could occur in people in the summer who are less susceptible to severe disease.

He said: "The concern at present is that in countries where there's less vaccination and a very strong third wave, that's the perfect breeding ground for further variants of concern.

"So, at this point, Britain has got its act together, the concern is as this third wave is going on elsewhere, that will generate new variations.

"Even within Britain there is a likelihood of a third wave in potentially July and August time when we do unlock society.

"That third wave we would expect to occur in people that are less susceptible to very severe disease."

 

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