UK still in 'round one' of marathon fight against coronavirus, NHS England chief says

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Rebecca Speare-Cole11 April 2020

The UK is still in "round one" in the fight against coronavirus, and tackling the spread of the disease will be more a marathon than a sprint, one of the country's top medical advisers has said.

NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said that while vaccine development is under way and there had been progress with drug treatments, there will be no "magical solution" to end the lockdown.

He said it remains "absolutely critical" that people stick to social distancing measures, making clear the country is in the early stages of the battle against Covid-19.

Addressing the daily Downing Street briefing on Saturday, he said: "I don't think we can emphasise enough that we're still in round one here, we're still fighting the virus very early on.

Medical Director of NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis
via REUTERS

"What's absolutely critical at the moment is that we follow the instructions that have been given, we maintain social distancing, because any strategy will require us to get on top of this virus."

Earlier an Oxford professor said she was "80%" confident of the success of a vaccine she and her colleagues are working on, which could be ready by September.

Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology, is leading a team of researchers said they have a potential vaccine that is due to begin human trials within two weeks.

London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures

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In an interview with The Times, Prof Gilbert said the autumn timeframe is "just about possible if everything goes perfectly".

Some other scientists welcomed the news with "cautious optimism", and highlighted that investment in production, distribution and delivery would be key to enable a mass rollout.

Prof Powis said that while a vaccine is an important part of the long-term management of the virus, it is unlikely to be a quick process.

He said: "Vaccines take months to develop, we need to make sure that they are safe and effective, and then of course they need to be manufactured and deployed. Vaccines are not the only part of an exit strategy."

He added that progress has also been made with drug treatments, but there will not be a quick fix.

"It is highly likely that over time this virus will become established worldwide in populations," he said.

"So this was never going to be a sprint over a few weeks, this is going to be a longer race. It is going to be a marathon."

Asked if ending the lockdown will be an economic decision, rather than a health one, Prof Powis said there is "no easy course through this".

He added: "There is no magical solution that doesn't require difficult decisions and difficult choices to be made."

While not commenting directly on the Oxford trial, the Department of Health has said if vaccines prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials, there are a number of manufacturing and supply chain options available to meet the projected demands.

Professor Stephen Evans, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said having a vaccine ready and proven to be safe is one thing, but availability in the millions of doses required for large-scale rollout across the UK with a system for delivery is a different matter.

Dr Colin Butter, associate professor and programme leader in bioveterinary science at the University of Lincoln, said it is important to understand there would not be "60-odd million doses" by September to vaccinate the entire population of the UK.

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