Battle royale on lockdown as Boris faces Tory demands to drop ALL curbs by MAY when over-50s are vaccinated - but Prof Lockdown's modelling team warns even a slower easing means 130,000 more deaths and the NHS could be swamped again
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9228617/Boris-faces-Tory-demands-drop-curbs-amid-SAGE-warnings.html
Swamped again because over 50s have been vaccinated and they're expecting deaths from the vaccines?
Boris Johnson is facing a battle royale on lockdown today as Tories demands all curbs are dropped in May when over-50s are vaccinated - but SAGE modelling suggested even a slower easing could mean 130,000 more deaths.
The PM is under renewed pressure to step up the reopening of the country after the government accidentally revealed that the top nine groups - around 32million people - should be covered by the spring.
Ministers had previously refused to confirm a timetable, but the Cabinet Office cited it as a reason elections in England can take place on May 6.
Senior Conservatives seized on the optimism to reiterate calls for a quick relaxation amid fears over the huge impact on education, the economy and other health issues. Mark Harper, who chairs the Tory MP lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group (CRG), said: 'These top nine groups account for around 99 per cent of those that have died from Covid and about 80 per cent of hospital admissions.
'It will be almost impossible to justify having any restrictions in place at all by that point.'
Mr Johnson is set to unveil his road map out of lockdown towards the end of the month, with hopes the return of schools from March 8 can be followed by allowing mixing outdoors, with bars and restaurants freed up over the summer.
There was a barrage of other good news today, with the R number dipping below the critical level of one, research showing the AstraZeneca jab seems effective against the Kent variant, and the UK regulator saying it was not detecting significant side-effects. Another 19,114 people were reported as testing positive, down a third on last Friday, and the grim daily death toll was down 18 per cent week on week at 1,014.
Another 484,596 vaccine doses were administered in 24 hours, maintaining the impressive pace - with just under 11million people now inoculated.