Coronavirus: Social distancing could last until end of year unless vaccine found, chief medical officer suggests

Keir Starmer’s PMQs debut? Dull but dangerous | One-third of key workers earn £10 an hour or less, study finds | Coronavirus has reached peak, says health secretary Trouble viewing this? [View in browser]( [indy-logo]( Follow us [twitter]( [facebook]( Daily coronavirus briefing Latest updates and essential advice from the news source you trust Social distancing ‘could last until end of 2020’ Social distancing measures could [remain in place until the end of the year]( without a vaccine for coronavirus, England’s chief medical officer has said. Professor Chris Whitty told the daily Downing Street press conference on Wednesday that some restrictions would need to remain in place as the probability of having a vaccine or effective drugs to treat the virus within the next calendar year was “incredibly small”. A sudden easing of restrictions would be a “wholly unreasonable” expectation, Professor Whitty warned, saying the path out of the lockdown must be carefully plotted to prevent the virus from spreading again and overwhelming the NHS. The real death toll from Covid-19 in the UK is [already more than 40,000](, new analysis suggests, twice the total once described as “a good result”. Ministers announced this week that there have been 17,337 fatalities so far, but that figure counts only those who have died in hospitals after testing positive for the virus. Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics has found that the number of registered deaths in the week ending 10 April was 75 per cent above normal in England and Wales, at 18,516. The Financial Times has since used that total to calculate the likely number of “excess deaths” since the coronavirus struck the UK, concluding it could be as high as 41,000. The UK is meanwhile [still not taking part]( in an EU medical equipment purchasing scheme, despite the health secretary claiming the opposite, Brussels has said. At a Downing Street press briefing on Tuesday, Matt Hancock said there was “no political decision” not to join the procurement initiative and “we joined so we are now members of that scheme”. But EU officials confirmed on Wednesday that the UK was not involved, despite the deadline for four rounds of purchasing being extended to 12 April to allow for more orders of gowns, ventilators and other medical equipment - long after the UK claimed it had missed the deadline to participate. Podcast The Independent Coronavirus Podcast [Subscribe now wherever you listen for all the latest coronavirus news.]( [Listen now]( Click here to [register for more Independent newsletters](, to learn more about our [subscription services](, or to [support truly independent journalism](. Top stories PREMIUM [Keir Starmer’s PMQs debut? Dull but dangerous]( [One-third of key workers earn £10 an hour or less, study finds]( [Coronavirus has reached peak, says health secretary]( More news [No 10 appears to crack down on dissenting voices within Whitehall]( [Government ‘way behind’ other countries on Covid, says Starmer]( [Five out of six UK firms unable to cope if lockdown lasts six months]( [These are the names of NHS workers who have died in the Covid-19 fight]( [Home Office facing legal challenge over asylum support during pandemic]( [Coronavirus could circulate around globe indefinitely, says government]( [Support Independent Journalism]( Suggested for you [Social distancing ‘necessary until 2021’]( [UK urged to ban Chinese cotton ‘made with Uighur Muslim forced labour']( [Democrat stepping down after anger at his support for Trump]( [Family spends 30 hours on phone to say goodbye to dying father]( [US Sheriff refuses to implement governor’s stay-at-home order]( [Foreign hackers target US government with offers of fast food]( [NY health commissioner rescinds DNR orders during pandemic]( Please do not reply directly to this email. You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.