Prime Minister Boris Johnson declares UK is 'past the peak' at Covid-19 briefing

Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his first briefing since recovering from coronavirus to deliver a hopeful message and declare that the UK is finally "past the peak" of Covid-19.
Boris Johnson. Picture: Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA Wire.Boris Johnson. Picture: Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA Wire.
Boris Johnson. Picture: Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA Wire.

Speaking from Downing Street today, Mr Johnson said "we can see the the sun light" but cautioned that it was "crucial we don't lose control".

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"We are past the peak and we're on the downward slope.

"We have so many reasons to be hopeful for the long-term."

There have been 26,711 deaths in all settings - after data changed to include care homes and the community, not just hospital - an increase of 674 since yesterday.

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Mr Johnson said the UK avoided an “uncontrollable and catastrophic” epidemic which could have could have caused 500,000 deaths.

However, the UK's death toll is among the worst in Europe, international data currently shows.

Mr Johnson said that comparisons international data may not give a clear indication of the real picture until after the pandemic.

This was echoed by the UK's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, who said "let's not go charging into who's won and who's lost" - and said such comparisons were "largely a fruitless exercise".

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The Prime Minister, who was admitted to intensive care with the virus, also paid tribute to the NHS after his fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to a son on Wednesday.

"I want to thank everybody who has been doing such a good job in my absence, and I want to thank the NHS for so much - including getting me back here and, I might add, a very much happier hospital visit yesterday," he said.

Mr Johnson said: "Families every day are continuing to lose loved ones before their time, we grieve for them and with them, but as we grieve, we are strengthened in our resolve to defeat this virus to get this whole country back to health, back on its feet."

Mr Johnson acknowledged the "frustrations" in expanding the number of coronavirus tests and the difficulties getting sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).

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"We're determined urgently and in particular to overcome those challenges that have in the last few weeks been so knotty and so infuriating," the PM said.

"I'm not going to minimise the logistical problems we face in getting the right protective gear to the right people at the right time, both in the NHS and in care homes.

"Or the frustrations that we've experienced in expanding the numbers of tests.

"But what I can tell you is that everyone responsible for tackling these problems, whether in Government or the NHS or Public Health England or in local authorities, we're throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day, to get it right - and we will get it right and we're making huge progress.

"And I will not underrate the work and achievement of those who are dealing with global shortages in a global pandemic - they are rising to a challenge we've never seen in our lifetimes."