Thread by @TheBMA

We believe that the decision by the Government on easing all lockdown restrictions in England on June 21st - expected to be announced on Monday - must now be delayed.

See the evidence and what we are calling for 👇 [THREAD]

We are urging a delay of at least two weeks to the decision about easing of the lockdown restrictions.

We also want regular fortnightly reviews thereafter, which are guided by the data

As our chair of council @CNagpaul says today, we must not undo all the excellent work of the vaccine programme by prematurely relaxing all restrictions.

Read our full statement: bma.org.uk/bma-media-cent…

In recent days there has been a rapid rise in the number of #COVID19 cases across the UK; latest figures indicate confirmed cases rose by 159% over the past two weeks; 7540 in the UK on June 9, compared to 2912 on May 24

It is clear from this data that we are not meeting the four tests the government has previously outlined for decisions on easing restrictions, and that we are in a phase of exponential growth

We need more time to assess the impact of the Delta variant and May's easing of restrictions, and the extent to which new cases lead to severe illness and demand for hospital care.

Any impact on death rates will also take at least four weeks to become apparent

Hospitalisations are also on the increase. Even though numbers are currently low, even a modest increase risks severely impacting NHS services – which are already extremely busy.

More on that here – bma.org.uk/bma-media-cent…

Another cause for concern is the rise in #COVID19 cases among younger populations.

In the week ending June 6, cases among 20-29 year-olds were up 121% - compared to 27% in over 60s

This is a worry because many in the 20-29 age group are yet to be vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to infection and the subsequent risk of severe illness or long-term symptoms - which we know can affect people who have suffered only a mild illness initially

Keeping transmission rates low is important to help prevent serious and avoidable long-term harms among those not yet vaccinated or who have incomplete protection, including from #LongCovid – a growing problem bma.org.uk/news-and-opini…

A delay will also allow us time to debate what measures are needed to keep the virus at bay over the summer – and beyond – such as the wearing of masks in public settings and greater investment in local public health services to be able to control future outbreaks.