Facing the nation tonight he said that Monday s Step 3 easing of restrictions would go ahead as planned. But he told the nation it might face hard choices in the weeks ahead .
Britain s chief medical officer has inspired thousands more school leavers to apply for careers in medicine during the pandemic, a new report says.
A surge dubbed the Chris Whitty effect saw a record-breaking number of teenagers apply for university courses in the medical field for 2021 entry.
Applicant numbers jumped by a fifth compared to the previous year for medicine and a quarter for nursing, data from the Medical Schools Council (MSC) and UCAS shows.
This will drive up competition for limited places, despite Matt Hancock last year pledging to lift the cap on medical school spaces available in England.
A report by UCAS noted that the arrival of Covid-19 had an immediate impact on applicant behaviour , adding this continues to unfold as we move into the 2021 cycle.
A LEADING microbiologist has raised doubts over plans to abolish Covid-19 restrictions in England next month.
He warned today that there could be a “huge number of cases as the Indian variant of coronavirus surges.
Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said that the date of June 21 for the end of the current lockdown could be in doubt if the Indian variant leads to an increase in cases among the elderly and more people needing hospital care.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Prof Hunter said that surge vaccination will “possibly” work, but it is “not an easy question either way.”
Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia. Picture: UEA
- Credit: UEA
A leading viral disease expert at the University of East Anglia has raised doubts over coronavirus restrictions fully easing this June.
Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia s Norwich Medical School said the Indian variant of the virus has caused big concerns over whether June 21 is still achievable as the final step of the government s roadmap.
B16172 was last week designated as a variant of concern by experts from Public Health England after small clusters of cases were detected across the country.
He said: The Indian variant has caused big concern over whether step four of the roadmap will be achievable.