Second wave 'won't be as bad as the first': Experts say increase in Covid cases is 'normal', new treatments and local lockdowns will keep it controlled and tough restrictions would make people suffer more than the disease
- Government experts believe a second wave of coronavirus wouldn't be as bad
- They suggest local lockdowns and social distancing would reduce the impact
- There are also hopes that a vaccine could be ready by as early as next spring
In addition, early signs from the southern hemisphere indicate that any flu outbreak will be less severe than in previous years.
It
comes as top Belgium scientist Jean-Luc Gala said Belgium's rising
infection rate is 'completely normal' and ongoing lockdown measures
should be relaxed.
He told French-language newspaper La Dernière Heure that 'people no longer suffer from the coronavirus, but measures to stop it.'
He said people should not worry as the
virus 'is circulating in a category that does not suffer from it, young
people who will at worst have small symptoms, at best nothing at all'.
He said people who the virus only midly affects becoming infected is beneficial as it contributes to wide-spread immunity.
Ministers had been concerned that a combination of flu and corona cases would prove catastrophic for the NHS this winter.
However, officials also expect that advice
on hygiene and social distancing during the corona pandemic will
suppress flu rates – as will the trend for working from home and
avoiding public transport.
In
Australia and New Zealand – which typically provide good indicators of
how the flu will develop in the UK – cases have remained low compared
with last year.
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