The UK will live under Covid-19 restrictions for at least nine more months, Prof Chris Whitty is set to warn today. England's chief medical officer believes there is little chance of a vaccine breakthrough before Christmas – and says our best hope now is of finding one before winter 2021.
Prof Whitty also warns that the coronavirus R rate could leap above 1 when children return to school – fuelling fears of more local lockdowns.
He and the chief medical officers for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland stressed there were “no risk-free options” and that sending pupils back to class had to be weighed up against keeping them away.