Prepare now for winter COVID-19 peak, warn infectious disease experts

The UK must prepare now for a potential new wave of coronavirus infections this winter, says a new Academy of Medical Sciences report. The report, which draws on expertise from multiple Imperial researchers including Professors Azra Ghani, Wendy Barclay, Peter Openshaw and Steven Riley, shows that a potential new wave of COVID-19, combined with a backlog of patients needing NHS care following the first wave and a possible flu epidemic, poses a serious risk to health in the UK. These new pressures are in addition to the challenge winter usually presents to the NHS, when other infectious diseases are more common and conditions such as asthma, heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stroke tend to worsen. The report was written by a team of 37 specialists from multiple institutions at the request of the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The ‘Preparing for a challenging winter 2020/21’ report stresses that ‘intense preparation’...