LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated on Saturday he was optimistic he could announce the easing of some lockdown measures soon as the government nears its target of offering vaccines to 15 million individuals in priority groups.
The government says it’s on track to have offered an injection by Monday to everyone who’s aged 70 and over, as well as those that are clinically vulnerable, frontline health and social care staff, and older adults in care homes.
With infections and hospitalizations beginning to fall, Johnson is under pressure from some in his own party to set out when strict lockdown restrictions, which have caused the biggest crash in economic output in more than 300 years, will be eased.
“I’m optimistic, I won’t hide it from you, I’m optimistic, but we have to be cautious ” Johnson, who will outline a route map out of the lockdown on Feb. 22, informed broadcasters.
He stated reopening schools remained the priority, with the hope they may return on March 8.
“Then working forwards to getting non-essential retail open as well, and then in due course as and after we can prudently and cautiously, of course, we want to be opening hospitality as well,” he stated
However, Johnson stated the number of new COVID-19 cases remained very high, with more than 15,000 reported on Friday, as did the number of deaths, but “perhaps starting to come down quite fast”.
He also echoed health minister Matt Hancock who earlier stated the nation may live with the virus as it did with flu by the end of the yr and make it a treatable disease.
“I do think that in due time, it will become something that we simply live with some people will be more vulnerable than others that are inevitable,” Johnson stated.
Hancock also announced that innovative treatments for COVID would quickly be fast-tracked through the UK’s clinical trial system, to make them available in months rather than years.