Thread by @IndependentSage

LIVE now: Independent SAGE's weekly briefing. Please join us for latest analysis & questions from the press & public. All welcome! pscp.tv/w/cjyJATFNV0V3…

Welcome all. We are now live and Professor Christina Pagel is now presenting the week's figures

Professor Gabriel Scally is now presenting Independent SAGE's paper on population immunity

Population immunity is not the solution to all diseases, even to ones for which we have an effective vaccine, like measles. We believe it's not feasible in the case of COVID-19

We don't know the duration of immunity conferred by the virus

We don't know the long-term effects of the virus. It's not a harmless virus and we don't know the extent of the harm

This virus is at its most potent and prevalent in our deprived communities so there is a real danger that any population strategy allowing people to become infected may disadvantage the already disadvantaged even more

We strongly believe that the development of a Find, Test, Trace and Isolate system that works and works for everyone is the single most important thing we should do

There is much discussion about the Swedish model but there have been an enormous number of deaths per head of population compared to its Nordic neighbours

The action Sweden has taken has fallen far short of what is needed to control this pandemic. We are very clear what the story really is

Children's author and poet Michael Rosen asks the panel what we know about long Covid, given that a huge number, like him, are walking around with long-term effects and possible life-long symptoms

Professor Anthony Costello says that Long Covid could be one of the biggest after-effects of the pandemic and that around 15% of people don't recover quickly. Brain fog and heart damage are very big problems. "This is not just a respiratory disease."

Professor Susan Michie: even if there is huge uptake of the NHS COVID-19 app, if people are not supported when they have symptoms or if they are a contact of someone with symptoms then it won't add value

Clare Hastie, founder of the Long Covid support group on Facebook: we need to move the narrative away from number of cases and hospitalisation and look at the long-term effects on the many people who were not hospitalised and have not been counted, including many young people

Professor Susan Michie on the NHS COVID-19 app: "I've downloaded it and I urge others to do the same. Every little bit helps and I think we should do it whatever our views on the government."

It's a wrap! Thank you for joining us. Same time next week.