AS THE number of new cases of coronavirus continues to reduce, Sir John Redwood has renewed calls for a way out of lockdown.
Writing in his blog, the Wokingham MP said that the government’s scientific advisers come across as “pessimists” who think that the way to combat covid is “more and longer lockdown”.
Sir John argues that the advisers would not be satisfied when the vulnerable have been vaccinated. “They say they do not know whether people who are vaccinated can still pass the virus on, nor how long immunity from vaccination might last.”
He added: “The advisers leave most of us without reliable figures on bed occupancy, NHS capacity and Nightingale use.
“They have changed the definitions of what is a covid death, and decline to tell us where the various numbers have to reach before they would recommend a relaxation.”
As for who the government is taking advice from, Sir John said: “(Ministers) are of course following a few prominent government scientists, who speak for one version of the science”.
He called for new guidance as to how the country would leave the current lockdown.
“Either they need to show us mass vaccination is the promised game changer and they will relax as soon as all the vulnerable who wish have been jabbed, or they need to come up with a plan for us to live alongside the virus better,” he wrote.
But there are continued signs that the lockdown is starting to have results as case numbers have more than halved since last Monday. Today, there were 22,195 positives tests, compared to 44,665 January 18.
The rate per 100,000 is now 390.5, another drop.
This has also been reflected in local figures.
Wokingham has recorded 45 cases and the rate per 100,000 people is now 294.5, half the rate of January 4, when it was 606. This was its highest.
Reading case numbers are still high, but half that of Friday’s figure. There were 109 cases today, compared to 229 on January 22. Its rate per 100,000 is now 603.3 – its peak was 809.1 on January 9.
West Berkshire, which had 41 cases today and its rate per 100,000 people is 267.6.
Bracknell Forest had 39 positive cases recorded today and its rate per 100,000 people is 366.4.
There were 41 positive tests in Windsor and Maidenhead, with a rate per 100,000 of 334.8.
And the number of cases in Slough is also coming down. There were 110 cases reported today and the rate per 100,000 has is 865.3.
The number of vaccinations increases: 6,573,570 people have now received their first dose, and 470,478 have had their second dose.
