It is really early days. We are not out of the woods, we are very much in the woods said Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England at this afternoon’s Daily Press Conference adding
“So green shoots but only green shoots and we must not be complacent and we must not take our foot off the pedal.”
Chairing the conference Michael Gove promised that many more ventilators would be coming into the NHS
He also said that the government is increasing capacity to provide oxygen to patients at earlier stages of the disease, hoping to prevent deterioration.
Gove said they are also conducting rapid clinical trials on those drugs, including antimalarials, which may be able to reduce the impact of Covid-19 to those affected.
Echoing the words of Stephen Powis Gove added:
“Now is absolutely not the time for people to imagine that there can be any relaxation or slackening. It is a hopeful sign but we must be wary of over-interpreting any individual day’s data. We must maintain this united national effort in order to keep people safe. People’s sacrifices are worth it, they are making a difference, but we must not let up”
A total of 1,651 people who have tested positive for coronavirus in England have died, up 367 from 1,284 on Monday, NHS England said.
Twenty of those deaths were in Greater Manchester taking the region’s total to 98.
Across the country The Department of Health also said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, a total of 143,186 people have been tested, with 25,150 testing positive.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection around the world has passed 800,000, with more than 38,000 deaths according to the The Maryland, US-based research university,the John Hopkins.
