Covid news - live: Whitty says UK ‘past peak’ of current wave as Boris Johnson hails effort to vaccinate 10m

Professor Chris Whitty has said that the country is “past the peak” of the current wave of the pandemic, but warned of another surge if restrictions are eased too much.

England’s chief medical officer told a Downing Street press briefing: “Most of my colleagues think we are past the peak. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t have another one.”

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Boris Johnson did not confirm a date for when hotel quarantine for international arrivals will begin but said an announcement will be made later this week,

He said: "We have among the toughest border regimes now anywhere in the world, we're restricting as much as we can, any risk of importing new infection into this country without totally secluding the UK economy.”

He said it was "illegal to go on holiday", and that passengers arriving from a list of countries around the world will be "taken and put in special accommodation", with Matt Hancock to make a further announcement on that on Thursday.

England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said that while the number of people in hospital with coronavirus has "quite noticeably" reduced, it is still above that of the first peak in April last year.

"The number of people in hospital with Covid has now gone down from its peak, quite noticeably," he told the Downing Street briefing.

"But as the Prime Minister said, there are still a very large number of people in hospital, and more people than there were in the first peak in April last year.

"So this is still a very major problem, but it is one that is heading the right way."

On the number of deaths, Prof Whitty added: "The number of deaths in people who have Covid is beginning to come down, but as the Prime Minister said, the numbers are still extremely high.

"And they will stay high for quite some time but coming down, as you can see, on this pathway.

"The first effects we will see on vaccination are likely to be on these death numbers."

Boris Johnson also  said that coronavirus infection rates remain "alarmingly high”.

"Though today there are some signs of hope - the numbers of Covid patients in hospital are beginning to fall for the first time since the onset of this new wave - the level of infection is still alarmingly high,” he said.

"The wards of our NHS are under huge pressure with more than 32,000 Covid patients still in hospital.”

Boris Johnson has said he hopes that schools in England will be able to begin reopening from 8 March.

The Prime Minister told a No 10 news conference that the evidence showed that the coronavirus vaccines reduce "death and serious illness" from the main strains of the disease.

He said that in the run-up to the review of lockdown restrictions in England in the week beginning 15 February, the Government would be accumulating more data so it could start charting a way forward, starting with the reopening of schools.

"I will be setting out as much as we can about that roadmap forward on 22 February," he said.

A further 1,322 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test in the UK, according to the latest figures.

As of Wednesday morning, there had been a further 19,202 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK, bringing the total number of cases to 3,871,825.

Seven out of 10 applicants for coronavirus self-isolation payments fail to get support, unions have warned.

Demand for the one-off payments of £500 is far outstripping the supply o favailable funding from government, leaving local authorities to foot the bill or deny grants to people who need them, the Trades Union Congress said.

The union body found that one in four local authorities have rejected 90 per cent or more of applications to the scheme.

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A police sergeant who was forced to self-isolate after a suspect claimed to have Covid-19 and spat at him has called for officers to be added to the priority list for the vaccine.

The Norfolk officer, who asked not to be named, said he and four colleagues were spat at and do not yet know whether they have contracted coronavirus.  

“It's a nightmare, the team is worried, they're anxious and questioning whether they've got Covid-19," he said.

He said he would feel "a million per cent" more confident doing his job if he was vaccinated.

"I cannot understand, we are a 24-hour resource, you could probably get the whole force vaccinated in less than 24 hours," he said, "I don't get why we are being left behind."

MP Margaret Ferrier has appeared in court charged with culpable and reckless conduct after she allegedly breached coronavirus rules.

The 60-year-old had the SNP whip removed last year after it emerged she allegedly travelled from Glasgow to the House of Commons while waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test - and then made the return journey after being informed she had the virus.

Ms Ferrier did not enter a plea when she appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court today. She was committed for further examination and released on bail.

She has come under pressure to resign from her seat, but remains an independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.