Sir Patrick Vallance backs Boris Johnson after Sage scientists warned he has eased lockdown too soon

The chair of the government’s Sage board has backed Boris Johnson’s decision to ease lockdown measures after one professor claimed there was a risk to changing the rules now.  Sir Patrick Vallance, who heads up the advisory board of scientists guiding the government through this pandemic, backed Mr Johnson’s decision by saying it is up … Read more

How UK’s Covid-19 outbreak has barely changed in seven days

Britain still has a ‘significant burden of infection’, the Government’s top scientist warned as statistics show the coronavirus crisis has barely changed in a week. The chief scientific adviser to the Government, Sir Patrick Vallance, urged the country not to get carried away with the news that lockdown is loosening. In a short speech that … Read more

Government’s top experts ‘were not asked to approve government’s confusing ‘stay alert’ message 

Neither Professor Chris Whitty or Sir Patrick Vallance were asked to approve Number 10’s Government’s confusing ‘stay alert’ message, it was claimed today.  The ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’ slogan was unveiled on Sunday, replacing the ‘stay at home’ message that was in place since lockdown on March 23.  But the top experts … Read more

UK’s chief scientist admits Government should not have restricted coronavirus testing

Britain should have done mass coronavirus testing on the public at the beginning of the crisis and carried it on, the Government’s chief scientist has said. Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser to Downing Street, admitted yesterday that it ‘would have been beneficial’ to get a handle on testing faster. When the first cases … Read more

Second deadly coronavirus peak CAN be stopped with UK’s new ‘test, track and trace’ app

Second deadly coronavirus peak CAN be stopped with UK’s new ‘test, track and trace’ app says chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance  Sir Patrick told MPs the new contact-tracing app could help stop a second peak  Sir Patrick told MPs spread of coronavirus was different in different parts of UK He said densely populated places … Read more

Wearing masks can curb spread of coronavirus, Government’s chief scientist says

Face masks will have some benefit in halting the spread of the coronavirus in post-lockdown Britain, Number 10’s chief scientific adviser today said. Sir Patrick Vallance told MPs that masks could have a ‘marginal but positive’ impact on curbing transmission of the life-threatening infection. But ‘coverings of some sort might do’, he said in front of … Read more

Recovering from coronavirus ‘almost certainly’ WON’T stop people from getting it AGAIN

Recovering from coronavirus ‘almost certainly’ WON’T stop people from getting it AGAIN, warns top science adviser Sir Patrick Vallance He told MPs the vast majority of  survivors will get ‘some degree of protection’ But told Commons Health Committee it was not absolute barrier to reinfection Warned survivors might be able to pass it to others … Read more

HENRY DEEDES: Boris Johnson and the Boffins were back – and the trio had some new material!

HENRY DEEDES: Boris Johnson and the Boffins were back — and the trio had some new material! By Henry Deedes for the Daily Mail Published: 22:15 BST, 30 April 2020 | Updated: 23:28 BST, 30 April 2020 The old band was back together. Boris And The Boffins finally reunited yesterday, their month-long absence from the … Read more

SAGE warned the Government ‘very early on’ that care homes were at risk of COVID-19

SAGE warned the Government ‘very early on’ in Britain’s coronavirus outbreak that care homes would be COVID-19 hotspots, chief scientific adviser reveals Sir Patrick Vallance said SAGE ‘flagged’ care home risk in early discussions The care sector has accused the Government of ‘shambolic’ response  Number of people who have died in homes is still unknown … Read more