Oxford professor: We’ve got to be brave now to come out of lockdown

As those who have been keeping a close eye on the number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths in the UK can attest, it appears that good news may be on the horizon. Over the past few days the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has begun to show signs of plateauing, while the number of daily reported UK deaths (which does not include deaths outside hospitals) has been steadily reducing.

The positive signs suggest the worst may be over and the virus has peaked. Some are now suggesting it’s time to seriously consider leaving the lockdown – and fast. Speaking on Newsnight last night, Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, suggested that in some parts of the country, like London, ‘the major outbreak’ of the disease had already occurred before the lockdown was even put in place. He believes infections were at their highest around mid-March – 21 days before the country recorded its worst day for deaths on April 8. Heneghan