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Britain is “coping very well” with coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, as more than 400,000 Brits volunteered to help in the crisis.
But it will be “a close run thing” for the NHS, chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned, as Britain’s critical care capacity is set to be stretched to the limit in the coming weeks.
Mr Johnson revealed at his daily press conference on Wednesday that 405,000 people had signed up to help the vulnerable people stuck at home in just 24 hours.
He thanked the volunteers and said: “When we launched the appeal last night, we hoped to get 250,000 volunteers over a few days.”
The Prime Minister added that the Government was “ramping up” coronavirus testing and said that he hoped 250,000 tests would soon be done every day.
Mr Whitty played down an earlier claim by the director of the UK’s National Infection Service that Brits could get tests delivered to their homes as soon as next week.
He said that NHS workers would be given tests first.
Mr Whitty added that the NHS was not facing “enormous pressure” now, but this would change in the weeks to come.
He emphasised that obeying the strict social distancing measures in place was the key to reducing infections and helping the NHS cope with the outbreak.
The Government introduced new rules on Monday evening keeping Brits to their homes, apart from for essential work, medical reasons, exercise and a weekly food shop.
Mr Whitty went on: “This is going to be a close-run thing, we all know that…”
He said: “But the measures that have been announced for the general public – which all of us have to do if the NHS is to get through this without exceeding its capacity – and the fantastic work by the NHS … is the way we will narrow this gap to the smallest possible gap over the next three weeks…”
“But we cannot guarantee that and nobody who is sensible would wish to guarantee that,” Mr Whitty added.
Professor Neil Ferguson at Imperial College London, who has been advising the Government on its coronavirus response, said on current figures the NHS will be able to cope if lockdown measures are followed and capacity is increased as planned.
He said that the key to ending the lockdown without causing a spike in infections would be widespread testing. Mr Ferguson added that the UK is unlikely to have more than 20,000 deaths from coronavirus.
On Tuesday Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that the Government is building an emergency coronavirus hospital with capacity for 4,000 patients in the Excel Centre in east London.
Named NHS Nightingale, it is set to open next week. Last week, Northwick Park hospital in north London told staff it was in a critical situation after a surge in coronavirus-related admissions. The situation passed the next day when the hospital found more intensive care beds, but a hospital spokesperson told the Standard the situation was fluid and subject to change.
The NHS trust the hospital forms part of has had more than 700 patients in three weeks and has more than 70 receiving critical care, the Standard reported on Wednesday.
The comments from the Prime Minister, Mr Whitty and Mr Ferguson come after it was revealed on Wednesday that heir to the British throne Prince Charles, 71, had tested positive for coronavirus.
The Prince of Wales reportedly has mild symptoms and is self-isolating.
A Clarence House spokesman said: that the Prince “otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
Meanwhile the British Medical Association (BMA) warned that without more personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff, healthcare workers and patients would be at great risk from coronavirus.
The BMA said that patients could be affected as without the right protection doctors and nurses would be likely to take time off for sickness, possibly leading to staff shortages.
The BMA’s statement follow comments from Lisa Anderson, a senior cardiologist at St George’s Hospital in London to the BBC last week, criticising the Government for not following World Health Organisation standards for PPE.
The Government is continuing to work to mitigate the health and economic effects of the virus.
Earlier on Wednesday, the House of Lords cleared the Coronavirus Bill without amendment, meaning the Government is set to get wide-ranging powers never been seen before in peacetime.
Measures outlined in the 348-page document include allowing police to force people with Covid-19 symptoms to self-isolate and enabling workers to claim sick pay more quickly.
