Plan C COVID strategy being discussed by government
pharmafile | October 27, 2021 | News story | Research and Development |
An advisor to the Department of Health told MPs a ‘Plan C’ has been mentioned in Government discussions, should the surge in COVID cases worsen. No further details have as yet been confirmed.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care has told a parliamentary committee that further measures beyond plan B have been discussed: “It has been proposed. The name has been mentioned. It is not being extensively worked up,” Chappell informed MPs. “People have used the phrase.”
Boris Johnson has set out a winter strategy for tackling COVID-19, ‘Plan B’, which would see the reintroduction of compulsory face masks in indoor public places, a return to working from home, and the use of vaccine passports to get into certain events. Plan C would be a significant step beyond the government’s Plan B measures currently under debate and consideration.
The PM’s official spokesman said Plan B would only be bought in when “pressure on the NHS is unsustainable” as he defended the measures as allowing “venues to remain open and remain trading”.
“As we have repeatedly made clear, there is no Plan C. We know the coming months would be challenging, which is why we set out our Plan A and Plan B for autumn and winter last month,” a government spokesperson said. “We are monitoring all the data closely and the government remains committed to taking further action if necessary to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.”
On 26 October, there were 263 COVID related deaths recorded, and the weekly cases recorded almost 8% higher than the previous week. On 26 October there were over 40,000 new positive cases.
Ana Ovey
